


fairy tales of yesterday

by sebastian2017



Series: The Weight of a Crown [4]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Genosha, M/M, Modern Royalty, Political fallouts, Public Relationships, adventures of the Lehnsherr family the best family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24663910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: It can't all be secret forever. Better the truth come from him than some tabloid exposé. Let his whole kingdom know he's gay as can be and in love with some common English boy.Now Erik just wishes the politics could all be as easy as saying he loves Charles
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: The Weight of a Crown [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1396759
Comments: 29
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> anyways so like wonderful caricature of intimacy was going to be my cherik swan song and it was,,, something seeing as i havent actually read or interacted with cherik since pretty much then. buuuut then i read American Royals and decided i should probably finish this series so here we freakin are, peeps 
> 
> if u haven't read The Weight of A Crown series (at least heavy crown and jet planes) this will probably confuse u but u do u 
> 
> cw: food, internalized homophobia

It's not going to last forever. Erik knows that. There's no way it will. Not with everyone carrying around cameras on their phones these days and certainly not with the luck that Erik tends to have around these sort of things. Still, it's nice to pretend. Erik would love nothing more than to hide away in the shadows for the rest of his life, playing the good son and leader when need be, but just having his quiet, private life with Charles the rest of the time. But Erik's far too old to believe in wishful fairytales like that. He was too old for it when he was ten, certainly too old now that he's nearing twenty-one. (His mother sometimes sighs and pets his hair and says he's still just a child, her baby boy trying to discover the world. But if that were true, Erik wouldn't be expected to hold the burden of an entire country on his shoulders and constantly reroute his life for whatever would be best for the crown. If that were true, he could just go out and live his life, happy and without any worries bigger than an upcoming exam or paper.) 

Erik tries not to dwell on it, but it does leave him with a perpetual sense of dread. How could it not? Anytime he finds himself enjoying anything - which is with Charles more often than not, as there's not too many things in the world that can make him smile - all he can think of is how long it'll last, how long until something happens to take this, too, away from him. It's no way to live, but it's the only option he has. It's a bit morbid, he supposes, constantly thinking in the future and of the inevitability of when all this will end. And end in a bad way. Charles says he just bleeds negativity, loud enough for any telepath to pick up on without even breaking a seat. 

He must be having a particularly bad day, because he's only been up long enough to make tea and Charles has only just opened his eyes, but his brow is already furrowed in the concerned, yet politely annoyed way he always does when Erik's thoughts are being uncomfortably loud for his taste. Erik smiles half heartedly and leans down to kiss his forehead, a silent apology. 

"Good morning. There's warm biscuits out in the kitchen, if you'd like them," he offers. 

"When have you ever known me to say no to biscuits?" Charles sits up and reaches pathetically for his tea until Erik puts it in his hands. To say Charles isn't a morning person would be an understatement. "Are you quite all right, darling? Your mind is bleeding all over the place."

"You know, before I started dating a telepath, I probably should have stopped to fully consider that it would mean having no secrets," Erik remarks, chuckling softly. He hopes that'll set Charles defending himself, going on about ethics and code of honors or whatnot, so he'll forget all about the question. 

Unfortunately, Charles doesn't bite. He just frowns down at Erik, more concerned than he'd been to begin with. "You know, you only deflect like that when it's something worth being worried over. If you were trying to distract me, a white lie would have probably been a better method." 

"You're getting to know me too well, you know? I'm starting to get worried." Erik chuckles half heartedly and shakes his head. Damn Charles and those too powerful blue eyes that can get any secret out of him. "School year's over soon. I have to go back home to Genosha and it'll be the most time I spend there since we started dating. I've just been nervous about it. That's all." 

"Oh. You know... I know we said I'd vacation down there and spend some time with you, but... If you're worried about getting found out, I can stay here in England. A few months on Skype and FaceTime won't kill us," Charles offers. 

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I'm a grown man. I can survive a few months of discomfort. Besides... it might just be time for me to finally tell my parents the truth." Erik sighs. 

It's not a thought that excites him, but he knows it has to happen sooner rather than later. Better they hear it from him than the tabloids. Still, knowing that actually coming out to his parents is the better option doesn't make it any easier to do. The very thought still chills him to the core and he's sure that if he sat them down and tried to tell them, nothing would ever actually make it past his throat. He'd just sit there and babble quietly until coming up with some other lie to tell them. 

Erik's sure he doesn't look his very best right now, frowning and clearly all wound up about his very unique, very impossible problem. And Charles must see it too, because he has his classic group mom concerned frown on right now. He reaches over to grab Erik's hand and threads their fingers together gently. 

"You know you don't have to do anything you don't want to, right? Whatever you end up doing, you do it for you and no one else. You owe it to yourself," Charles insists. 

Erik sighs. They've had this conversation before. "That's very sweetly optimistic of you, Charles, but it's not just about me. It never has been. It's about an entire country I represent. An entire country that's hung on my back since I was a child. I can't just... decide to do things simply because I want to." 

"I know, but..." Charles shrugs. "The Genoshans are lovely people and you're one of their own! You're the country's son, practically. I'm sure they would embrace you no matter what decision you end up making." 

"I think you're letting your bleeding heart cloud your vision, Charles," Erik says, an opinion he holds more often than not during his and Charles' conversations. "Let's just have a nice breakfast and not talk about it right now." 

He remembers once, when he was much younger, one of his royal tutors explaining to him that people in his position don't always marry other royals or nobles because of the social standing. Sometimes it's just because they're the only other people in the world who could understand the intricate madness of life within the court. Erik loves Charles and he'll be as patient as he needs to be for them, but it's starting to make more and more sense the longer he stays with him. 

****

When his school year is officially over, Erik knows he should be celebrating. Just one more year to go and he'll have his degree. Not that he's ever going to actually do anything with it, he's going back to full time royal duties and engagements, but at least he'll always know he did it. It'll be something for him to carry around in his heart and know that at least this one thing, he did by and for himself. Not everything has been handed to him by Genosha and its forefathers. 

Not to mention all the wild parties going on all over the student accomodations. He's sure he could find a party of any type he likes, if he really wants to. Charles would probably come with him, too, and they could both dance near each other, like good friends do, and then come home and let the drunken desperation take over until they can't possibly press their bodies any closer together. 

But Erik's not enjoying himself or thinking about parties right now. No, he's too busy staring at his empty suitcases and at the reminder on his calendar that his flight back home is in two days. Two days and he'll be back in Genosha. Back to living in his palace. Back to going out most days in his finely tailored suits, so he can wave at cameras and visit hospitals or memorials or schools or whatever the fuck else their PR people have signed him up for. Back to walking the fine line between the country's golden boy and their beloved bad boy. Back to his picture perfect engagement with Magda. 

And yes, Erik realizes exactly how disgustingly whiny he's coming off. He knows how lucky he is to live this life, how privileged and horrifically rich his upbringing and future are. He knows that neither he nor his family have done anything to deserve it and he knows that they all represent a past they should be trying to distance themselves from. But it's his reality and Erik knows it won't change any time soon. He just wishes he hadn't been born into it. 

It's not that he lives a particularly open life here in Oxford. He only has a handful of real friends, the ones who don't just see him as a foot in the door for high society or to find their own royal happily ever after; he's out of the closet to an even smaller number of people; and he's got a security detail even tighter than the one back home in Genosha. 

But at least Oxford has Charles. It has Charles, his own apartment that has quickly become practically theirs, and time to study the things he wants and spend lazy afternoons in bed with Charles, instead of running back and forth as a royal mouthpiece or as walking photo-op. He loves his country and its people, but lately, it's been a drain on him that he can hardly live with. He doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to bear it. 

He hears a key slipping into the front door and feels Charles' old wristwatch coming into the apartment. There's a snippet of polite small talk between Charles and the bodyguard at the hallway before the front door closes again and Charles lets himself the rest of the way in. All of Erik's security detail knows that Charles practically lives in his apartment. Erik's sure they've figured out what's really going on between them by now, but they're all discreet enough to make no mention of it, not even to his parents. It probably helps that having Charles around has helped to smooth out Erik's temper. 

Charles lets himself into the bedroom and comes up behind Erik to wrap his arms around his waist. If he stretches, he can rest his chin on Erik's shoulder. "Packing up for home? I'd have thought you'd be out celebrating. It's officially summer!" 

"You say that as though you're not going to be doing research over the summer break," Erik points out, looking back at him. 

Charles shrugs. "Yes, well... It feels different! The weather's nicer, to begin with, and I'll be doing my readings on a beach instead of a library." 

"I suppose that does sound nicer, yes." Erik chuckles. He'd love to do some research over the summer - in a library or a beach, it's all the same to him - but he'd never have the time with all the appearances and meetings he'll have to do all summer. "I don't know if I'll go out tonight. I think I'm just going to focus on packing up and enjoying one or two more quiet days before I get back to life at royal speeds." 

"Of course," Charles goes to sit at the edge of the bed and he reaches for Erik's hands. "My offer still stands, by the way. If you'd like me to cancel my trip down to the island, I will. England has beaches, too. I'll spend my summer here, if you'd like, and we can Skype every day." 

"Oh please. English beaches are shit, but especially after you've experienced the real thing. It'll be alright. I want you there in Genosha with me. You might be my only speck of sanity the entire time," Erik reminds him. 

"Fine, fine. But if you change your mind, promise you'll let me know?" 

"Of course. When have I ever passed up a good opportunity to complain?" 

***

Erik would love another private plane ride with Charles. This time would have been just the two of them and he could have really shown Charles the full experience. Champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, romance. All the sappy shit from Charles' chick-flicks that Erik rolls his eyes at, but takes notes about so he can impress him later. 

But instead, the flight is just him and his security detail. He's coming back home officially now, not an illicit weekend visit like when he'd first brought Charles over, that no one knew about until it was too late. It's been plastered all over the country's media that he's coming home this afternoon and he'll no doubt be mobbed at the airport. Coming home from abroad is always like an unofficial, impromptu appearance at the airport. Having Charles there would only complicate things with security and bring up too many questions. 

Better for him to come in alone, even if he does hate it. He spends the entire flight trying to read, but doing no more than scowling at a page. He wants nothing more than to get out of this metal cage, but once they've landed and he hears the crowds out on the air strip, he wonders if maybe he can fake his death and never have to face any of this. 

"I'd like a moment to freshen up before going out," he says to no one in particular, before standing up and locking himself in the bathroom. It's the closest to faking his death he can come to right now. 

Erik leans up against the wall, feeling more cramped than ever. A few days and Charles will be here. That will make things feel more like normal. And who knows? Things might change soon. 

He turns his phone back on and finds a message from Charles waiting. It's nothing much. Just ' _ hope you'll see this when you land. love you! enjoy being back home'  _ and far too many emojis. It's ridiculous, honestly, and Erik rolls his eyes, like he always does when faced with Charles' excessive use of emojis. But it does make his heart throb and gives him enough energy to leave the bathroom once more. 

Maybe this will be the summer he gets to live one less fiction. For now, though? He puts his smiles on for the crowds and cameras, because it's show time. 


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving and playing the press' golden boy was just as exhausting as Erik thought it was. He feels like he'd been at the airport for hours, just shaking hands and smiling for pictures. His jaw hurts when they finally pull up to the royal residence. England isn't perfect, but it rarely gets as rowdy as this. And in Oxford, half his peers are too busy with readings and papers to pay him any mind. He misses it already. It wasn't really anonymity, but it was probably the closest Erik was ever going to get to. Just thinking about how he'll leave it all forever in just a year is enough to make Erik sick, so he does what he does best and he just avoids thinking about it at all. 

He finally makes it home and the first thing he does is ask someone on the staff to tell his parents that he's exhausted from the trip and he'll be in his room resting, but he'll see them in the morning. He feels terrible, because he missed his parents and he knows they missed him too, but he's had enough acting for one day. He could put up with some times out in public being the prince the country needs him to be, but right now, he can't bear to be the son his parents want. 

His time with Charles has made him weak. He used to do this every day with no end in sight and now he can't handle a few hours. It's pathetic, Erik knows, and still, as soon as he's locked away in his room, he pulls his phone out to arrange a Skype date with Charles. If only his royal tutors could see him now. 

They get a time for that evening squared away and then just send texts back and forth for a while. Charles sends him all the mutant themed memes he's found since Erik went on his flight - and really, the amount and variety of memes Charles can find is astounding - and Erik recreates in overly dramatic horror the scene when he disembarked the plane and found a crowd of Genoshans eager to be the first to spot their newly returned prince. It's one of fate's cruel jokes that they made a prince out of someone who hates playing nice for crowds as much as he does. 

He's about to suggest they call or move the Skyping up, when there's a knock at his door. Erik bites back a grumble and calls out that he's already informed his parents that he won't be joining them for dinner. He figures it's one of the staff coming to fetch him for that. But the knocking doesn't stop and Ruth's voice yells at him through the door. 

"C'mon, just let me in, Erik! Don't make me climb in through your window like that time you slipped in the shower and texted me for help," Ruth yells. 

Erik is already halfway to the door, but he rushes the last few steps and yanks it open, already glaring at her. "I was drunk when that happened and you promised you would never tell a soul!" 

"Oh, please. All my friends heard about that within half an hour of you getting tucked into bed with a bandaid on your drunken booboo," she teases. 

The worst part is that Erik is pretty sure she's telling the truth. Ruth is an absolute media darling and she's the face of innocence compared to his bad boy image, but Erik knows better. Everything he learned, he learned from her. She's a fiend, she's just better at hiding it than he is. So before she can go and yell more embarrassing stories about him down the hallway, he ushers her inside and closes the door behind her. He should have texted her personally to let her know he wouldn't be at dinner. Then maybe she wouldn't be interrupting his emo fest while trying to message Charles. 

"I'm not feeling up to dinner tonight, if that's what you came for," he tells her. "We'll all have breakfast tomorrow, though. I'll even make pancakes." 

Ruth rolls her eyes and sits at the corner of his bed. "I don't care if you miss dinner or not, Erik. I just came by to check up on you. I'm worried about you, kid." 

"I'm not a kid," Erik grumbles, practically on instinct. And then he frowns, because getting people worried about him isn't something Erik ever wants. For lots of reasons, but a pretty big one is that people worried about him usually means he's not doing a very good job keeping his secrets to himself and he absolutely can't have his truths coming out. "What're you worried about? That I was drinking too much at uni and lost my figure? Well, don't worry, I'm still the hottest prince alive, according to People magazine, so there's no need to sound the alarms." 

"Don't try to sound the alarms and get out of talking about this, Erik," she scolds. "You might get away doing that with other people, but it's not going to work with me. I've been worried about you for ages. And then you came by for that weekend trip and you were so happy and... since that weekend, all I can think of is just how  _ not  _ happy you usually are. And now you come home and don't want to talk to anyone? The world's biggest Mama's boy not immediately running into his mother's arms after a semester away? Sorry, Erik, but I don't buy it. Now, we're going to sit here and you're going to tell me what's wrong. And I'm not leaving until you do, so if I were you, I'd either start talking or get used to my company." 

"Ruth..." 

Erik frowns down at his lap, wondering how he's going to get her off his back. It's not like she's talking nonsense. Everything she's saying is true. He really is unhappy most of the time and he's never been as happy as he's been since getting together with Charles and letting himself be true to himself. But how's he supposed to explain that to Ruth? The easiest way out is to tell her the truth, of course, but can he really do that? 

He stands up and swallows the sour taste creeping up his throat from sheer nerves. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she knew. It's not like he's a one man pride parade back at Oxford. It's just a handful of people that know about him and that's already more than enough to make him feel better. Having Ruth know here could help him in the same way. It's worth a try, right? He turns to look at her, but when he tries to just say it, his words freeze in his throat and he feels like he might be sick. 

Ruth can tell, because she always can. She's always been a good sister. She reaches for his hand and holds it tight. "It's okay, Erik. I'm here and I love you. Anything you need from me, I'm here for you. Anything at all." 

"Ruthie... The truth is..." Erik lets himself trail off and gives himself one last chance to take a deep breath and gather up all his courage. "The truth is I'm gay. I'm gay and I've known for years, but I knew I couldn't tell anyone, so I didn't. And it was fine. A little lonely sometimes, but fine. Then I met Charles and... we've been dating a few months. It's made things different." 

"No wonder you always looked so sad, Erik. And no wonder you seemed so much happier when you came down that weekend." Ruth lets go of his hand, but only so she can pull him into a hug. 

For someone half a foot shorter than him, she's got a pretty impressive grip. She hugs him tightly enough that his ribs ache a bit, but he doesn't mind. He hugs her back just as tightly. When he pulls away again, he's embarrassed to realize a few tears have escaped him. Erik tries to wipe it away before Ruth sees it, but she grabs his hand to stop him and leans forward to kiss his cheek. 

"I swear, even when you were a baby, you never wanted to cry. You've always been the silliest baby brother a girl could have," she scolds gently. "It's okay to be upset. This is a difficult situation. I can't imagine how exhausted you must be after hiding so long. Do Mama and Papa know?"

"Are you kidding? Of course they don't!" Erik scoffs and pulls away again, more roughly this time so she can't hold him in place. She's sweet, but Erik's not about to start crying all over the place because his sister says it's okay. He wipes his eyes and shakes his head again. "I can't tell them. Please don't go behind my back and tell them." 

"Erik... Are you afraid they wouldn't approve? They love you so much. You're their baby boy. They would love you no matter what. Being gay would be an absolute non-issue to them," she insists. 

Erik sighs. Ruth is wonderful and he loves her. She's a great sister, she's been around to support him through countless things. But the truth is, she hadn't been raised to one day take the throne. She's had countless freedoms he never did; at home, at school, from their parents, in the press. Erik knows half the time it hadn't even been done on purpose. It's just a fact of life that Ruth is allowed more freedoms than he has as the crown prince. He's not resentful of it, it's just the duty he'd been born into, but is jealous sometimes. 

He's sure she wholeheartedly believes what she's saying, because if it were her, it probably wouldn't be all that much of an issue. There'd need to be a carefully calculated coming out process with help of their publicity department and she couldn't just go and date any girl she wants, but it wouldn't be anything that shook their country to the core. She's never going to be on the throne representing them all. Him, though...

He shakes his head. "I'm sure Mama and Papa wouldn't have an issue with it, but it's not just about them. And they have more to think about than just loving their son. We have a whole country to think about." 

"Erik... You know, the press is always talking about how you don't take your title seriously enough and you don't care about the crown, but if they knew you even a fraction as well as any of us, they'd realize how absurd that sounds. You've already sacrificed so much for the monarchy. Are you really going to let them take your love life from you, too?" Ruth asks. She sighs sadly and grabs his hand. 

"It's not like I have much of a choice, Ruthie," he reminds her.

"I still think you should tell Mama and Papa, but I won't tell them. This can be our secret for now," she promises. "Who else knows?" 

"Magda's known since we were in high school. Charles knows, obviously, and Charles' sister. My security detail back in England probably knows, though they've never asked and I haven't confirmed," Erik lists. 

"That's... a depressingly small number of people, Erik. But all right. And Charles is coming to spend the summer here, right? That's so romantic!" She squeezes his hand. "You have to tell me all about him." 

Erik laughs. "Fine, okay. We met at a party. He was pretty tipsy and came up to me, rambling about me being a prince and a mutant and how excited he was. It's cute now, but I thought it was incredibly annoying in the moment." 

He keeps going, telling Ruth about them getting together and Charles' studies and how they'd practically lived together and every minute detail about Charles he can think of, just because he's happy to be able to talk about it. Maybe telling Ruth wasn't so bad of an idea. At least it gives him one more outlet to survive his time here under public scrutiny. 

***

The next morning, Erik goes to breakfast with his family just like he'd promised. He'd talked to Ruth for hours, then spent another few hours on Skype with Charles. He feels like every inch of him is lighter. He doesn't want to get sappy, but he's pretty sure his soul could just float along right now. It all comes crashing to a halt when he walks into their private dining room and sees Magda sitting next to his parents at the table. 

Just like that, his thoughts backfire and he has to use every ounce of publicity training in him to not start gaping and rambling a series of incriminating questions. He loves Magda. She's his best friend. He'd texted her when he landed to make plans so they could see each other and hang out. However, he highly doubts his parents have invited her so they can spend time together as friends. After all, they know Magda as his fiancee, not his best friend. And lately, they've been making an awful lot of comments about how unusually long their engagement has been. Erik knows her being here can't be a good sign. 

"Ah, Erik! It's so good to finally see you in person!" his mother gets up and goes to wrap him up in a big hug. Erik hugs her back and almost forgets why he hadn't wanted to come straight into her arms in the first place. 

But then his father goes and winks, which reminds him. "We took the liberty of sending someone to go pick Magda up for you. We figured the two of you probably missed each other." 

"Yeah. Thanks, Pa. Thoughtful as always." Erik says. He tries to hide his stiffness as he goes over to Magda's chair and leans down to kiss her cheek. "It's really great to see you, Magda." 

"You too, love," she says and when their eyes meet, he sees a hint of an apology in them. He's sure she had no idea until when someone showed up at her house this morning. Erik squeezes her shoulder to make sure she knows it's okay and then goes to sit down across from her.

"We were thinking we could throw a small party this weekend, to celebrate that you're back home," his father suggests. "And you know, a party like that is a perfect opportunity for certain things. Certain announcements." 

"You're painfully obvious, Papa. It's not cute," Ruth says, giving him a stink eye before reaching for some cut up pieces of pineapple. Erik's doubly glad that she knows the truth now, because it means she can help him seem less suspicious when he feels strange about his father making comments like that. 

"That's enough jokes out of you, Jakob. Let's just enjoy having a full table again," his mother insists, laughing fondly. "Erik, hang around after breakfast, okay? We have something we'd like to discuss with you." 

Oh boy. Erik already knows that can't be good, though he can't imagine what it might be. He's only been back a day and he already has his schedule of appearances for the next month. He knows he hasn't missed anything and he hasn't been involved in any scandals lately. So whatever his parents want to talk about in private? It can't be good. 

All through breakfast, Erik makes small talk, but in the back of his mind, he's trying to figure out what his parents could possibly want to talk about in private. It's not the most relaxing of breakfasts. By the time everyone else has left and it's just the three of them, Erik's practically bursting at the seams. Even worse, his parents insist on them walking to his father's office on another floor, which prolongs the wait. Erik feels like a schoolboy again, getting walked over to the principal's office after breaking a rule. 

When they finally get to the office, Erik sits down on a couch in the corner. "So? What's the important conversation we need to have? If it's about marrying Magda, I've already told you: we both want to take our time with the engagement and not rush through. We're young. We want to focus on our studies and worry about marriage after we've graduated." 

"I know, Erik, and that's a perfectly valid way to look at it, but unfortunately, things have changed. Your mother and I... we'd like you to reconsider." His father goes to sit down at his desk chair, which sets off all the alarms in Erik's mind. His father only sits there for official business. This isn't a meeting as father and son, it's between king and future king. 

Erik sits a bit more stiffly and his fears are only worsened when his mother sits down next to him on the couch and takes one of his hands in hers. "We realize it isn't fair of us to ask you to rush things along when you're not ready, but unfortunately, this is part of the responsibilities we have to Genosha. You're a wonderful young man, Erik. So smart and kind and responsible. And Magda is a great young woman, who I'm sure would do an excellent job as queen. I know it's not exactly your original plan, but I think the both of you would be just fine marrying a year or two early." 

"Mama, even if we marry this very summer, we'll still be apart another year while we both finish our studies. It doesn't make all that much of a difference," he reminds her. 

"About that. Your mother and I were wondering if perhaps, there was something we could do so you can graduate early? To have you finished this summer would be wonderful, but if not, perhaps by the winter?" his father suggests. "We'll help you talk to the appropriate faculty, of course, and we're sure they'll understand that your position places you in rather extenuating circumstances." 

Graduate early? It would be one thing to have to enter a closeting, fake marriage earlier than expected, but to give up his studies? To give up the last year he has of something resembling freedom? It's absurd. He almost gets angry. Almost. Before he realizes that his parents wouldn't be asking him all of this for no reason. If they're asking... Well, there must be something he doesn't know. Erik frowns and looks at both of them as intensely as he can manage. "There's something going on here I don't know. What's happened? Has something changed?"

"Oh, Erik." His mother sighs. "Firstly, your father and I want you to know that this is not your fault. In no way at all. Mostly, we're sorry that we have to bring you into these things so quickly, but unfortunately, it's the responsibility we take on when we're born into this family."

His father continues before Erik can ask what the hell is going on. "Erik, boychik, you might need to take the throne sooner than we expected. Now, I'm not dying any time soon, so don't you worry about that, but... well, I have had a few health scares lately and my doctor says I need to limit my stress factors. And, well... you know better than anyone how stressful this job can be. Son, I'm sorry to put this all on you, but I need to step down soon and that means you'll have to come and take my place." 

And just like that, Erik feels himself just completely shut down. He can't do this. He knew this was coming sooner or later, but he thought he had time. He's not ready yet. He wants more time. Time to be himself, to be free, to have fun, to be with Charles. He can't do this. Erik stands up abruptly and shoves his hands in his pocket to hide the way they're trembling. "I need to go talk to Magda and think this over. I'll come by to speak with you when I've come to an adequate decision, Father." 

And without giving them another moment to try to keep him there, Erik speeds out of the office to go find Magda or Ruth or call Charles or anyone at all who can help him feel like his whole world isn't crashing down around him. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: internalized homophobia

Erik goes straight to his room after leaving his father's office. He wants to say that he walks over calmly and fully in control of the situation, but really, it was more of a panicked jog. Someone being very nice to him might describe it as power walking, but definitely not calm. When he gets to the part of the palace that's their private quarters, he passes by Magda and Ruth chatting in the living room, but he doesn't stop. He just walks right past them and keeps heading straight to his room. 

They'll ask questions if he stops and Erik's not sure he could answer without breaking down into a complete mess. That's the last thing he can afford right now. He can't be a mess. He's going to be king sooner than expected. By the end of summer, maybe. He can't break down in the palace hallways. He has to be more regal and put together than he's ever been in his life. 

He tries to close the door before the girls can get in, so he can have a few minutes for his own selfish wallowing, Before he can get the door closed, though, Ruth sneaks in just behind him and holds the door open for Magda as well. Erik resigns himself to not having his solitude and just goes to lay down across his bed without further comment. Ruth and Magda both know the drill, at least, and they lock up the door behind him before going to get the truth out of him. 

"What did they talk to you about, Erik?" Magda asks, sitting on the side of his bed and grabbing his hand to soothe him. "Are they pressuring you into hosting a wedding soon? I can say that I'm the one putting my foot down, if you'd like. Tell them that I want to graduate first, so you have another year, at least." 

"Thank you, love, but I don't think you're going to be able to make much of a difference in this. They wanted to talk with me because... well, because they want me to take the crown as soon as possible." Erik knows he's probably not supposed to talk about this with anyone, not even his sister and alleged fiancee, but he can't hold this inside himself. Not something like this. "They think if I go up married, it'll help things on all ends. Give me a bit more support at home, look better in all the corontiation pictures, calm people down about the transition, things like that." 

" _ What? _ " Ruth's eyes widen. "As soon as possible? Is Papa okay?" 

"He said he's had some health scares and his doctor recommends he cuts down on stress. And seeing as this is the most stressful job in the world... Well, he wants to step down. He already said he's looking into the possibility of me graduating early. That's how serious he is about this," Erik explains. He feels sick saying it all out loud. It makes it more real than just sitting and hearing his father say it. He doesn't even know how he's going to tell Charles. 

"You have to tell them the truth, Erik. They can prepare for it better if they know the truth. You can be a gay king, but it's better if everyone knows that from the beginning instead of having it come out in some sort of expose," Ruth reminds him, as though that isn't one of the first rules of the media they learn as children. If they do something stupid around other people and suspect their might be footage or credible sources that could leak it to the press, they need to tell their parents and PR team immediately. Better to break a story under the right circumstances than to try to fix a disaster later. But Erik's pretty sure the team would rather he have one of the typical scandals, cheating or drinking or some excessive partying, instead of this. 

"Ruthie... I'm already the mutant prince. A not insignificant portion of the population still thinks I should have been disowned when my mutation manifested and a great deal of Genoshans only like me because I can pass as human and they can pretend I don't have the mutant gene," Erik reminds her. "And outside Genosha, we all get enough trouble for being Jewish. Can you imagine if I add gay to that? It'll be a nightmare." 

Ruth shrugs. "Maybe. But it's not a nightmare you can avoid forever, so you might as well handle it sooner rather than later." 

"I've been happy to help you out by pretending all these years and I'll do it however longer you need me, but I can't commit to a lifetime, Erik. Not when I know it'll just end up hurting you in the end," Magda says. She tries to be gentle about it, but it still stings just as harshly as though they really were breaking up. Erik much prefers a beard he actually knows and loves than someone under a real contract. 

"I think most people would rather a bachelor king than a queer one," Erik mumbles. 

"I still think you should talk to them." Ruth insists. "Now... I have a feeling you want to brood alone?" 

"You guessed it." 

They both give him hugs that last way too long for Erik's tastes and then leave him be for a while. Which is perfect because Erik's plans for the rest of the morning are to lay down, stare at the ceiling, and pretend, at least for a few hours, that he has the normal sort of life where he can be selfish and not consider an entire country with every choice he makes. 

****

There's a part of Erik that already knows what to do. It terrifies him more than he'll ever admit. He spends all day in his room, wondering if he might somehow come up with some last minute plan that can change things. But no, Erik knows. He's been trained for media and image crisis management since he was a child. He knows that secrets that can't be taken to the grave have to be dealt with and closely managed by the royal publicists as it goes out to the public, not let to leak and cause disaster in the press. 

If Erik thought he might be able to go through an entire reign without his sexuality becoming public, he might try to keep it a secret. But he knows better. Even without the possibility that someone who connected the dots about him and Charles or some past hookup might leak it to the press, Erik knows he'll never be able to go a lifetime suppressing his  _ urges _ . He has to tell his parents and their publicity team so they can handle it. Erik's wanted to be open and free for years, but somehow, the thought that he might be out in a few weeks isn't nearly as comforting as he'd hoped it might be. It just leaves him nauseous and terrified. 

Mostly, it's because the thought of leaving out to the world after so long hiding from it, but there's also something else Erik knows he'll have to acknowledge now: Charles. Not just telling his parents that he's secretly been in a homosexual relationship half of the last school year, but also having to sit down with Charles for a difficult conversation and know that their relationship might be ending now because of this. After all, being the secret boyfriend of a closeted prince is a very different experience from being the public partner of a soon to be gay king. Erik doesn't even want to imagine the backlash anyone near him is going to get for this. 

He wants to just delay his phone call with Charles as long as possible. If they never talk, they never have to actually break up. But he knows that he's running on borrowed time now and that it's just as unfair to himself as it is to Charles to let it hang in the air for so long. So he gathers up his courage and picks up his cellphone. He sits by one of his windows while the phone rings, one with a view out towards the private beach on their property. The sun is starting to set, painting the sky and sea all sorts of shades of orange and red and purple. Erik's always thought that one of the most beautiful views from this whole palace was out this window. At least it serves as a reminder of why he does all of this. 

"Well, hello, Your Highness," Charles greets, as he usually does. He thinks it's funny and mostly, Erik indulges him. 

Today, he just sighs. "Hi, Charles. I have to tell you something. Something that's... pretty important." 

"Oh. Is everything okay?" he asks. 

"Yes? I don't know. It's complicated. You can't tell anyone I told you any of this, okay? It's... My sister didn't even know until I told her." Erik waits for Charles to agree before he continues. "My father wants to step down sooner rather than later. If he has it his way, I'll be king by the end of summer." 

Charles chokes on a sudden intake of breath. "Oh. That's... Wow. That's huge news, Erik. How are you feeling about it?" 

"Does it matter? It's my duty, it's not like I can just... turn it down or tell my father to wait longer. I'm overwhelmed and terrified, but... that's not really what matters right now. Regardless. I'm calling you because... well, I'm going to tell my parents I'm gay. And our publicity team. It's far better it comes out now on our terms than some leak once I've taken the throne," Erik explains. 

"That's wonderful news!" Charles exclaims. Erik's not surprised. Charles has been not so subtly encouraging this for months. 

"I suppose. I'm just calling because... I want to make sure you know you have a way out. If you want to end things now, there'll be no hard feelings. I won't take it personally," Erik offers. He'd known since before dialing that it would be the purpose of the call but it still makes his chest ache to say it out loud. 

The other end of the line is silent for so long, Erik has to check that the call didn't drop. But no. Charles is still connected, just quiet. Erik's not too surprised. He has a feeling Charles hadn't thought of these things yet. Why should he? He's not the one who'd spent a childhood preparing for this job and being told of all the ways one misplaced tabloid article could ruin everything. He's not the one who was sat down at the beginning of secondary school and reminded that any girl he dated had to be up to standard, because the press would look for any little excuse to drag her through the mud. These just aren't the things Charles has ever had to stop and consider. Still, it breaks Erik's heart that he's the one who has to break it to him. 

"Are you trying to break up with me?" Charles finally asks. "Or trying to get me to break up with you?" 

"I love you, Charles. Don't misunderstand that. And... if you don't want to leave me, I'm not going to force you too. I should, God knows I should, but I'm a weak man. I'm going to hold you close if you'll let me know. But before you make that decision, you need to know what that'll entail. Everyone will know who you are and your relationship with me. People will dig up every little detail they can on you and try to drag you through the mud for any mistake you've ever made. Your whole life will be under a microscope. Your whole family's life. It would be your first glance at what it's really like to date a Prince. Not to mention... Well, I know we haven't been together that long, but... if I'm coming out of the closet to the world in a relationship, it has to be something that will last. I know we can't tell the future, but... this can't be something that's over in a few months. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. So yes. I'm giving you an out, because this isn't what you signed up for and there's a good chance it'll be a living hell for a few months." 

Charles replies the second Erik's done talking, like he was just sitting and waiting to give his answer. He probably was. "Erik, you absolute thick-headed idiot of a man. I love you. I'm serious about this. Let the world tear me apart, I don't give a damn so long as I get to do it by your side. I'll move my flight up to be there by tomorrow." 

"Oh. You don't have to do that, love. I'm sure it can wait a few days," Erik promises. His whole body relaxes. He'd tried to tell himself that he would be fine with any answer, that he wasn't going to expect anything one way or another, but the truth is, he's undoubtedly grateful that Charles is staying with him. 

"Darling. I already rescheduled my flight while you were going on your self sacrificial rant." 

***

Erik gives himself just enough time for his pulse to steady after his phone call before he gets up again. It's getting late, his parents are probably getting ready for bed already, but if he doesn't do this now, Erik knows he never will. He'll find some other excuse to avoid it by morning and end up stuck in the same never ending cycle. His hands are trembling as he leaves his room and heads down towards his parents, but he tries to ignore it. He tries to ignore every part of him that isn't Prince Magnus, heir to the throne and public servant. That's who he has to be right now.

He has to force his feet to take him all the way to his parents' door, instead of hiding away or seeking out Ruth or Magda, instead. But once he's there and he knocks, he knows there won't be getting away from this again. His mother answers the door, bundled up in her dressing gown. She already looks concerned when she opens it, because unannounced visitors coming to the king's quarters at night is rarely good news, but her frown deepens when she sees it’s Erik. 

"Is everything all right, boychik?" she asks, ushering him inside. "No one saw you all day. We wanted to give you some space, but we were worried." 

"I needed some time to reflect," Erik says. He steps inside and goes to sit down in the tiny sitting area to the side of the room. Even in a bedroom, they have to be ready to entertain guests properly. He takes a seat there, sitting stiffly and trying to look regal and poised, not the frantic fear he's actually feeling. "Papa, Mama, could you both come sit down. There's something I need to tell you." 

His parents exchange concerned glances and go to sit down across from him. Erik's sure they have all sorts of terrible thoughts running through their mind about what this could be about. They're probably mentally going down the list of scandals their team has action plans ready for. Pregnancies, leaked nudes, fights. Erik wonders if maybe there's some tiny file, gathering dust in the back of some filing cabinet, about what to do when a crown prince comes out of the closet. The thought alone is enough to make his throat tighten up uncomfortably, terrified of moving forward even though he knows he's in far too deep to step back now. 

"If this is about this morning, Erik, we understand that this can be overwhelming. We want to help you to make it as smooth a transition as possible, but you need to let us in for that to happen." His father's sitting up straight, hands folded carefully on his lap, using the same tone of voice as when he's out doing public appearances. This is an official matter, even if he's in his pajamas and Erik's a mental wreck, and that makes Erik feel somewhat better. It's easier to disconnect himself from the topic when he sees it as a work matter than a personal vulnerability. Even if it technically is both. 

"It's about this morning, yes, but... we would have needed to have this conversation sooner or later regardless. It's... Well, perhaps I should have told you earlier, so we could have handled it with time, care, and the publicity team, but I could never quite find the words before this. I still can't, but I know now it's simply an urgent matter to get it on the table, even if I can't present it in the most eloquent way." Erik pauses to remind himself to breathe. He's trying to recall all the public speaking classes he'd been enrolled in growing up, all the practice he gained over the years from public events and charity galas, but none of that seems to come in handy with a matter like this. At least he can still remember all his breathing techniques. He'll need them after this. Between calculated breaths, he forces the words out. "I'm gay." 

For a long, painful moment, it's quiet enough that Erik can hear the shore out the window. Waves crashing and receding, going on in their endless patterns without a care in the world what's going on in a palace a stone's throw away. The ocean doesn't care whether there's a gay prince inheriting a crown. None of this island does. Not the ocean or the beaches, the cliffs or rainforest, the sunsets or the sea breeze. It's something at least. A small piece of hope to cling to as he wallows in his parents' silence. 

"Oh, Erik," his mother finally says. She leans forward and rests her hand on his knee. Erik keeps staring straight ahead at them, because he's afraid he'll just burst into unseemly tears if he looks down at where she's touching him. "I think I speak for your father as well when I say we're not  _ completely  _ surprised. Is this something you realized recently? While you were away at university?" 

"I've known for years, Mama. I think I've probably known forever, I just didn't always have the words to name it," Erik explains. then backtracks, because he needs it acknowledged before his brain short circuits. "You  _ knew _ ?" 

"Well. We didn't know, we just... when you were younger, we suspected you might be different. you were always a very quiet boy, very sensitive and you'd spend all your time alone or with your sister's friends. The older you got, the more we thought you might tell us something someday, but then Magda happened and we thought maybe you were just a quiet boy." His father shrugs. He doesn't exactly look  _ pleased  _ with the news, but he doesn't look upset either. Just... resigned. He's probably thinking of all the extra paperwork they'll have to do because of this. Erik can't blame him. He's thought of it too. 

His mother, though, doesn't seem to give a damn. She moves to sit down next to him and pulls him into a hug. When she pulls away again, Erik can see tears in her eyes and he's never felt quite as guilty as he does in that moment. He didn't want to make his mother cry. It's the last thing he could ever want. But she just sniffles and wipes away her tears so she can lean in to cover his face with kisses. "Years is such a long time to be holding in secrets, boychik. And a whole lifetime... I can't even imagine. I'm so sorry that you felt you couldn't tell us. I know this complicates things somewhat and we'll probably have to write up a million press releases, but I'm a mother before I'm a queen. And when I look at you, I just see my baby boy. Don't you ever forget that again, okay? Promise me, boychik?" 

Erik sniffles, unable to hold back his tears any longer, and he nods. "I promise, Mama. I won't forget. I love you." 

He looks towards his father, who just shrugs good naturedly. "You're going to cause quite the stir, boy, but that's just what you've been doing since you were about knee high. I'm sure there's a rowdy part of you deep inside that can't wait. And, of course, you'll have my full public support during it. I do love you, Erik, even if I don't always show it in the best way. Come here." 

And that's how Erik spends his night huddled up in a teary group hug with his mother and father. There's a long road to go before any of this can even resemble normalcy again, but for now, it's close enough to make his heart feel whole again. 


	4. Chapter 4

Charles makes it to Genosha in record time. Erik doesn't even want to think about what the last minute airplane tickets must have cost. He'll just add yet another reason to feel guilty about everything that's going on. He just focuses on the things he can do. Sending a car to pick Charles up at the airport, for example. He doesn't go meet him there, to avoid questions and press, but he's waiting anxiously at the royal residency. Pacing a hole in the carpet, some might say. He can't help it. He's never been good at situations where he just has to wait and see how things can play out. Coming out and seeing what happens is pretty much the definition of a situation like that. 

Not to mention, his parents are going to meet his boyfriend today. That's the sort of situation that would make anyone nervous without having to include the extra added pressure of being a gay prince about to come out of the closet. He hadn't told his parents much about Charles yesterday other than he existed, but they're already excited as can be to meet him. It's like some weird fusion between being the world's most embarrassing parents and his personal crisis management team. Erik's not sure how he feels about the whole thing, but he's at the very least confident that most things start to feel better once he has Charles with him. 

Magda tosses a balled up paper at him when he checks his phone for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. She's been placed in charge of watching him in the sitting room while his parents and sister make sure everything is ready for welcoming Charles and all the meetings with publicists later. "Checking your phone isn't going to make the drive any shorter." 

"No, but sending the right message might make the car drive faster," he points out. 

"God forbid the little prince have to wait a few more minutes for what he wants," she deadpans. 

Erik sighs and puts his phone away so he can sit on the couch with her. They've been best friends since they were in diapers and she's one in a very small list of people who's not afraid of teasing him like that. It's one of the reasons he likes her so much. In another life, he probably would have really married her. Or if he'd been born a few decades earlier. In this lifetime, though, he's just happy he can have her as a best friend. He wraps his arm around her and pulls in her closer for a cuddle. 

"My parents, sister, fiancee, and boyfriend all in one place. There's a good romcom there, I think," Erik notes. 

Magda laughs. "Your whole life is like some out of control romcom, Erik. One with a spattering of drama in it, so it can get an Oscar nomination. Nicholas Sparks probably wrote the screenplay." 

"Ugh." Erik likes a good romcom and Nicholas Spark is certainly not that. "In that case, it's in desperate need of a rewrite." 

"You're right. Which is what you're doing right now," she agrees. "Taking the pen and writing your own destiny." 

"Magda, darling, I love you, but please never start a career as a motivational speaker." Erik laughs and presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

"Got you laughing, though, didn't I?" 

Which is true. Erik stays on the couch with her, joking around and gossiping about the kids they'd grown up with. They take guesses as to who already has illegitimate children running around and which one of their ex-classmates will lay claim to the scandal big enough to knock Erik's coming out out of the news cycle in a few weeks. He knows she's just trying to distract him so he won't overthink, but she's doing a rather magnificent job of it, so he doesn't mind. 

The rest of the wait speeds by and Erik feels like he's only just sat down when someone on the staff comes in to announce that Charles Xavier has arrived. It's done in exactly the overly formal way that he and Magda love to make fun of, but Erik doesn't even care right now. He just grins at Magda and jumps up to go meet him at the door. There's probably some old rules about how a royal isn't meant to go meet guests, but instead wait for the guest to come to them. Erik couldn't care less. 

He gets to the hallway at the entrance just as a butler is closing the door behind him. Erik grins and runs over to pick him up into a hug. Who cares if the staff sees? They'll all read a press release confirming their suspicions soon anyway. Charles lets out a startled laugh and reaches up to pat Erik's cheek when he's firmly on the ground again. 

"Hello, dear. Are you feeling quite all right? I don't think I've ever seen you so lively," Charles teases. He leans around him to wave hello to Magda. "Good to see you again, Magda." 

"You too, Charles. Erik's been like an anxious puppy all morning, waiting for you to arrive," she tells him. 

"Traitor," Erik huffs. He dismisses the butler, who's probably filing this moment away for one of those stories to tell people when they ask about stories from the palace, and takes Charles' suitcase himself. "You're going to stay in my room this time. We'll go get you settled, you can freshen up, and then we'll be having lunch with my parents." 

Charles somehow manages to look even paler than usual. "Already? Oh my, I thought I'd have until at least dinner. I've never met a king or queen." 

"They're meeting you as my parents, not as king and queen," Erik reassures him. 

"That's even worse!" 

Magda laughs. "They're very nice, Charles, don't worry. Just pretend you're having dinner with some rich family friend of the Xaviers. I'd imagine it's more or less the same sort of protocols." 

"There's a good chance that my parents will come out of this lunch liking you better than they do me. It'll be alright," Erik promises. 

He leads Charles up to his room and puts his luggage aside in a corner. It'll be nice, at least, to know that Charles can stay in his room this time instead of a guest quarter that they sneak back and forth from. One of the benefits of coming out he'll have to keep reminding himself of when things start to get truly difficult. Thankfully, having his boyfriend near him whenever he wants is a pretty massive benefit. 

Charles is already unpacking, even though Erik says they might as well leave it for later when they won't be interrupted. But no, Charles is convinced that the whole palace will go up in flames if Charles shows up for lunch in the same clothes he flew in - a perfectly respectable outfit of khakis and a neatly tailored button down shirt - so he's going through everything he'd packed in search of something better to wear. Erik had asked him to bring along formal wear for the official events they'll probably have to attend soon, but he vetoes the tuxedo immediately. 

He also vetoes the three piece suit, even if it makes Charles' ass look amazing. He's trying to keep this whole thing as relaxed as possible. It's going to be hectic enough when he comes out to the public. He wants for at least things at home to be no big deal. But how is he supposed to tell his parents it's no big deal if his boyfriend shows up to an informal lunch in a tuxedo? God, Erik can already feel a tension headache forming. Meanwhile, Magda's just sitting on his bed, giggling while she watches them both. 

"I'm lucky," she says. "I met Erik's parents when I was in kindergarten, so no one blinked an eye when I showed up in overalls and sandals." 

"And they still loved you, didn't they? Just like they loved you all the same nearly fifteen years later, when you came to lunch with them in denim shorts and a blouse to tell them that we'd gotten engaged," Erik reminds her. 

"To be fair, darling, it was a fake engagement and Magda's not a man." Charles groans and throws himself across a couch in the corner. Dramatic as ever. "They're going to hate me and throw me in a dungeon." 

Erik rolls his eyes. He crouches down by Charles' suitcase and picks out some pieces that will help Charles feel a bit more dressed up, without losing the very necessary casual air of this meeting. "Wear this. You'll be matching with what I'm wearing, too, which will work well. Coming off as a strong couple from the very beginning and all that." 

Charles examines it for a second before hopping off the couch and giving Erik a noisy kiss. "You're a fashion genius. It's a miracle no one figured out you were gay." 

He grabs the pieces and disappears into the walk in closet to change. Erik rolls his eyes and sits down next to Magda, who's still laughing on the bed. She's had to put up with things like this for a while. Coming up with the right outfit, walking the fine line between slutty and prude, making sure she matches with the darling prince for the paps. It must be doubly nice for her to get to witness the whole thing from the other side. Erik wraps an arm around her and pulls her into a fond hug, unable to help himself. 

"You're a wonder, you know that?" he says, looking her in the eyes. "If you'd like, I'll convince Mama and Papa that the public spin should be that you had no idea I was a queer. You'll be the jilted fiancee that was cheated on, everyone will feel sorry for you, probably respect you when you ask for some space. There's no need for the both of us to get raked through the coals." 

Magda seems offended at the very thought of it. "Are you kidding, Erik? I'm your best friend, not some hired beard. I knew what I was signing up for and I knew it would mean just as many bad press days as good ones. I was being a good friend, that's all. And if the press and public have a problem with it, then fuck them. They should have thought about that before making it so impossible for someone to be himself just because he's a prince. And they can quote me on that." 

Erik laughs and leans down to press a kiss to her hair. "I love you. I'd have married you a hundred times over if I were straight. Or if we'd been born a few decades ago." 

"You're not half bad yourself, Erik." She smiles and reaches up to brush his hair back off his forehead. 

Charles comes out once he's dressed again and doesn't even bat an eye to see them all over each other. Magda had come to visit him in Oxford a few times. He knows by now that the two of them can be pretty handsy for friends. He has bigger things to worry about, Erik thinks, like standing in front of the mirror to roll and unroll his sleeves over and over again. 

"I like the rolled up sleeves best, for what it's worth," Erik says, coming up behind him and helping him get the creases just right. "There. See how handsome you look? My parents are going to love you." 

"They'll adore you, Charles. They'll probably insist on giving you a duchy or something," Magda agrees. She comes up behind the both of them and presses kisses to both their cheeks. "I'll leave you two to wind down before lunch. See you both around." 

Erik watches her leave and then wraps his arms tighter around Charles' waist. "So... We have a good ninety minute or so before lunch. I'm sure we can think of a couple of ways to spend it." 

"You're very funny if you think I'm going to let you mess up my hair before I meet your parents for the first time." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: food, unacknowledged classism

Despite how much Erik wanted to spend the time before lunch getting handsy with Charles, he ends up losing that argument and spends it all giving Charles a refresher course on Genoshan history. No matter how much Erik assures him that his parents just want to meet him and get to know a little about him, Charles is still somehow convinced that he's going to get tested as soon as he walks into the room. (Erik doesn't point out that his whole life has been the test, because he thinks it'll probably make Charles more nervous than he already is.) 

Erik couldn't be more thankful when it's finally time for lunch with his parents. Any longer and Charles' nerves might have spread onto him and then they were really going to be in trouble. So as soon as they can be acceptably early - about two minutes before starting time, but only if they can do it by walking leisurely and pretending they had lost track of time - Erik takes Charles by the hand and pulls him down to the private dining room. Charles lets out an adorably pathetic whimper just before leaving the bedroom, but they have to get it over with sooner or later.

They walk up to the room just as his parents do. Erik's an expert at planning perfectly timed arrivals by now, so he'd expected it, but he needs to squeeze Charles' hand to remind him to breathe. It doesn't seem to do much good, but Charles at least manages to smile politely at them as they cross paths at the door. Erik's sure Mrs. Xavier would be proud. 

"You must be the boy that stole my son's heart!" Edie cooes. She steps forward to pull Charles into a hug and kisses his cheek. Erik wishes he'd thought of having a camera ready to take a picture of this, because the way Charles' eyes widen in disbelief is absolutely priceless. 

When he pulls back, Charles laughs breathlessly and nods. "He might have stolen mine first, but yes. It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Your Majesty." 

"Oy, we'll have plenty of time to be called by our titles when we're dealing with the media circus later. Call us Edie and Jakob," his father insists. Jakob places a firm hand on Charles' shoulder and guides him to the table and into a seat next to him. 

Charles' familiar telepathy pushes at the edges of Erik's mind,  _ Did a King just ask me to call him by his first name? After a Queen kissed me on the cheek?  _

Erik has to stifle a laugh as he sits down across from Charles.  _ I told you. You were worrying far too much. They want to like you and you won't give them any reason not to.  _

Someone comes along to pour out water for them and take their drink orders. Most of the times, when they're just having dinner here in the family room by themselves, they'll bring out their own food and drinks. Not exactly like a normal family, considering they still have royal cooks, but a little more normal than usual. It's what Erik had wanted to do today, but while his parents had been talked down from using the official dining room, they still want to keep things semi formal for meeting his boyfriend. 

Erik's pretty sure they're just trying to impress him, as though being the royal family of a country isn't impressive enough. To be fair, though, Charles does seem quite starry eyed as drinks and the first course get brought out to them. Erik knows he'd grown up wealthy and this can't be entirely new for him, but he also knows that all things royal tend to have a bit more glamour to people. He's just rather jaded from growing up amongst it all. It's a nice reminder anytime he has someone over and gets to remember just how odd and special all of this. 

Once his mother has taken a sampling from her iced tea and appetizer, she turns to Charles , smiling brightly. It's her motherly smile, too, not the one she's perfected for when she needs to play at Queen. It's a good sign, Erik supposes. 

"Now, Erik hasn't told us very much about you. The only person he's ever brought home was Magda and now I've been told that was never genuine, so you'll have to forgive me if I get a bit too excited." She laughs and pats Charles' hand gently. "I've heard you're studying genetics?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty. Sorry, I mean yes, Edie. I'm working on my PhD, actually. I graduated high school early and got my Bachelor's in Boston," Charles explains. 

"Bachelor's in Boston is the humble way he says Harvard, by the way," Erik translates. 

"Oh! That's so lovely. You must be very intelligent," Edie praises. 

His father nods in agreement and pulls a notepad out of God knows where. He starts scribbling something down, no doubt 'Harvard and Oxford educated' and 'polite' or something like that. "It's wonderful, indeed. What year did you graduate? And was it a bachelor's in genetics like your doctorate?" 

" _ Father _ ," Erik says sharply. His parents aren't the only ones who've mastered the tone of voice for 'we're talking business as members of the same organization, not family' over the years. "Please don't take notes of lunch with my boyfriend. I'm sure the publicist will interview him within an inch of his life eventually. For now... Can't we just enjoy a halfway normal lunch together?" 

"I just don't want to forget!" Jakob insists. 

"Don't worry, sir, I'll be sure to remember all my credentials for when we sit down later to talk about them," Charles promises. And somehow, he actually comes off as respectful and helpful, instead of hopelessly sarcastic like any normal person in that situation would. 

"The boys are right. We'll have time for all that later. Let's just enjoy a family lunch for now," his mother insists. 

Jakob sighs and puts the notepad away once more. "All right, all right. Sorry, boys, I'm just trying to make sure this whole thing goes by as smoothly as possible. It'll help quite a lot that you're a well educated society man." 

"Well. I'm always glad to be helpful." 

The kitchen staff interrupts before this can all get even more awkward and brings out their main course, some local fish that's definitely been dressed up to the point it's no longer really a local meal, and busies them with eating instead of talking about his boyfriend's social standing. The rest of lunch, Erik makes sure to keep the conversation topic on things that won't be so easily taken by his father and wrapped up in a neat little bow for media consumption. It's something Erik has a depressing amount of experience with, from all the times he had to do it for himself. 

When they've all finished their desserts and start heading out once more, his mother invites them to a walk down by the shore. Charles must be able to pick up just how exhausted Erik is of this - or more likely, probably overheard plenty of Erik's displeased thoughts - and turns them down with an excuse of jetlag and exhaustion from the flight. And, of course, being a good boyfriend and all that, Erik goes with him back to the bedroom. 

Charles reaches down to take Erik's hand and they walk mostly in silence until they've cleared the back stairwell and are on Erik and Ruth's private floor instead of on the one the family uses to entertain personal guests. Once it's just them and the occasional security agent at the doors, Charles leans up to kiss Erik's cheek. 

"I don't think that went so badly." 

"No, I suppose not." Erik sighs. "Not all that well, either, but you're right. They could have hated you instead. I'm sorry about my father. Sometimes he forgets when he's supposed to be a dad and when he's supposed to be king." 

"I can tell. But it's... almost sweet. He's trying to help you, just... in his own way. The more official, regal, and sometimes slightly insensitive way," Charles says. "We've had meals like that in my family plenty of times, only it was more about preserving the family image than actually caring. So... I still think your family is lovely." 

Erik sighs and leads Charles through his bedroom door. He immediately goes to lay down dramatically across the couch in the corner, because it's far more satisfying to have a fit on a couch than a bed. "You're right, of course. It's just exhausting. I can't have a single lunch now without it turning into business. I don't want to imagine how terrible it'll be once I'm King." 

"Yes. I don't think there's any way to sugarcoat that, even with my endless optimism." Charles follows him and moves Erik's head so he can sit at the edge of the couch and rest Erik's head on his lap. "For what it's worth, I think you'll make a wonderful king, even if I'm sorry it's happening so soon and robbing you of your youth." 

"Just for the record, it really does it for me when you go around talking about the monarchy robbing me of my youth." Erik grins and tugs him down for a kiss. 

Charles indulges him briefly then pulls back again. "Lovely. I'm still not sleeping with you in the middle of the day. Not when we'll probably see your parents again in a few hours!" 

"Ugh. You truly take away all the fun of royalty." 

****

If Erik had his way, he would spend as much of this summer holed up in his bedroom with Charles and only leaving to get more food. Perhaps, sometimes, to go get some sun at the beach. Unfortunately, he very rarely gets his way, so he's not surprised when someone comes by in the early evening and leaves him an updated schedule of what his next week is going to be like. 

Most of his public events have been scaled back, but it's only because they've been replaced with emergency meetings and, later in the week, interviews and press conferences. Erik knew that telling his parents would make this whole thing official and he'd be completely public sooner rather than later, but seeing an actual date written down on paper for when he's going to come out makes him woozy in ways he hadn't expected. He keeps gripping the paper as he sits down at the edge of the bed and reads it over and over to make sure he's not hallucinating. Somehow, he think he'd have preferred all the public appearances. 

"What's wrong, darling?" Charles asks, sitting next to him and wrapping an encouraging arm around his shoulders. You'd think he was already media trained with how perfectly proper he is at playing the royal boyfriend role. 

"Nothing, really. It's just I got my schedule for the next week. Lots of meetings to figure it all out, of course, and all leading up to the big event of me coming out publicly," Erik explains. He passes the paper back to Charles so he can see as well, seeing as Charles will be expected at most of these things as well. 

"Oh." Charles looks through the schedule and Erik can practically hear him frowning. "I can see how this would be overwhelming for you. It's not too late to back out, you know? If you want to, I'm sure you can just keep this private within your family for a while longer." 

"Oh, Charles. I wish I could just do that, but no. The longer we wait, the worse it'll be. It'll just turn into some big thing about me lying to the country or something like that. It's like a bandaid. Better to do it all in one go." 

"All right, well... It's ultimately your choice. Is there anything I could do that would help you feel better about it all?" 

Erik hums thoughtfully. "Let's see... I know you were rather excited about dinner with all my family and whatnot, but perhaps we can cancel? Just stay locked up here in the room together instead. We won't have a lot of time in private just to ourselves for a while." 

"Hmm. This sounds like an elaborate excuse to keep me in bed for as close to twenty four hours as you can manage, but... All right. I'll join you in your rebellious lie in." 

"Thank you. See? Moments like these are why you're a perfect candidate for my official public boyfriend."


	6. Chapter 6

Erik wakes up to a way too early alarm, several important sounding emails, and half a dozen pop up reminders for all his meetings of the day. It's an unpleasant reminder that for him, summer just means he's had to go from all his student responsibilities to his full time job. It stings a little more now that he's waking up in bed with Charles. It's his two worlds clashing together in ways that he never expected and isn't so sure he appreciates. At least he's still relatively accustomed to this sort of thing. He hopes Charles will adjust quickly. 

After turning the alarm on his phone up, Erik sits up and shakes Charles awake. "I know you're going to say it's disgustingly early, but our meeting with the publicist is in an hour, so unless you'd like her to just make up your personality, I'd suggest you get up." 

"Ugh." Charles rolls onto his back to scowl up at Erik. "At least when I met your parents I didn't have to get up early." 

"Trust me, meeting my parents will seem like a walk in the park after a few of these meetings," Erik warns. 

At least his parents aren't getting paid to find every possible flaw in him and fix it all, while also letting him know every worst case scenario and all the numbers between how many people would hate him for things like wearing the wrong tie. While Charles is busy whining and struggling to wake up, Erik goes for the quickest shower he can manage before laying out outfits for the both of them. Charles dresses well, but he comes off as a preppy, rich scholar half the time, when he'll need to look more like a young man worthy of courting the crown. All those small things like wardrobe that Charles just hasn't been raised to think too much about. 

Fifty-four minutes later, they're both washed and dressed and looking like perfectly respectable, non-threatening homosexuals. The kind that anyone's grandma wouldn't mind supporting. Erik knows that's the image they'll have to get plastered with soon, anyway. He's been in the behind the scenes of scandal clean up so many times, he could probably do half the job by himself anyway. 

Charles fiddles with the cuffs of his freshly starched shirt as they walk downstairs to the meeting room. "I don't know why I couldn't wear one of my cardigans. It's not like we're going out, anyway." 

"No, but once we leave the room, we have to be show ready pretty much at all times. Besides, first impressions are important and this is the woman who's going to make sure we don't cause  _ too much  _ political upheaval. You need to look the part of an appropriate royal suitor, not a frumpy professor," Erik explains. 

"I'm not frumpy," Charles mumbles, though they all know he is. 

Erik just gives him a chaste kiss, to calm his grumbling and because he's rather endeared, even by Charles trying to reject what is so clearly the truth. He hurries him along a little at the stairs, so they get to the meeting room right on time. Punctuality is key, he'd learned early on. Not early, not late, or the tabloids would speculate about how he was doing nothing with his life or was doing far too much. They were never very happy, the tabloids. 

As soon as he opened the door, Erik's senses were overwhelmed with the metallic scent and sharp sting of stagnant electricity hanging in the air. Wonderful. That meant Ororo was already worked up. Erik braces himself for a long, long day. He hopes Charles can pick up on that in his mind, too, so he's ready for his first real test of royal life. 

Ororo is in a corner of the table, scribbling down notes furiously while an intern tries to keep up. There's magazines and newspapers spread out across the room and several laptops, tablets, and phones opened to different news networks and websites. It's the necessary chaos that Erik has witnessed every time he needs to work with Ororo. 

She looks up at him briefly then immediately inspects every inch of Charles. She'll probably stand in front of him and have him turn in circles for her before the day is over. For now, Ororo just goes over to shake his hand. "Your Highness. I hear you're gay. Congratulations. Now, let's get to work in making sure we don't both lose our jobs because of this." 

"In your capable hands, I have no doubt we'll figure it all out," Erik assures her. "Charles, this is Ororo Munroe, head of Storm Public Relations and in charge of every impossible job this palace has ever needed. There's simply no one better in the industry." 

"No need for flattery, my salary is more than enough. Come on now, go sit. We have a million things to do. Charles, are you media trained?" She does a wonderful job of hiding her disappointment when Charles shakes her head even though Erik knows she probably wants to cause a lightning storm right here in this room. "Very well. Remy! Come here and give Mr. Xavier a crash course." 

Someone comes over to sweep Charles away to another room, to condense a childhood full of etiquette and media training into a few hours. Charles looks rather startled by it all and Erik winces a bit. He reaches out to Charles mentally, projecting some sympathy along with his words,  _ Sorry, it's a necessary evil. I'll be a room over if you need me. And I'll make it up to you later this evening.  _

_ You better. I miss champagne and finger food with your parents already.  _

*** 

If Ororo had her way, they would probably have worked through lunch and dinner and only retired back to their rooms when they were starting to pass out from exhaustion. Erik had put his foot down, allowing himself a moment of being obnoxious about his power and title, and insisted they have a proper lunch break. It had earned him thirty minutes eating a sandwich in an empty sitting room with Charles, but thirty minutes is better than nothing. 

"God, Erik," Charles recounts, "I thought all the things I had to learn for social events back home was complex, but this is another world. I'm second guessing how I walk and breathe, even." 

"It's overwhelming. The first few interviews are the worst," Erik admits. "It was easier when my parents were young. No one walked around with cameras in their pockets and there was no 24 hour news cycle. You get used to it after a while, though. I suspect during these crucial first few interviews, Ororo's strategy will mostly be to have you sit next to me and be very polite. Maybe echo a few soundbites every now and then. Still, you never know when they'll throw you a question out of nowhere, so it's good to be prepared." 

"I'm sure Remy will have me prepared. I feel like he's getting me ready to run for the island presidency." Charles shudders dramatically. 

Erik laughs and squeezes his knee. He knows from first hand experience how harrowing this whole thing can be, but it is rather amusing to see someone else's horror and frustration at it. It's like vindication for a whole childhood worth of feelings. Charles keeps grumbling somewhat all through lunch, mostly to himself, and Erik keeps nodding along and giving him the validation he needs. God knows it's what he wanted when he was first old enough to start having these day long emergency meetings. 

His phone dings with a text from Ororo after a while, reminding them they have to be back in five minutes, as though they aren't both all too aware of how little time they have left before it's back to work. Erik sighs and puts his phone away in his pocket after finishing the last of his lunchtime iced tea. 

"I think we're supposed to merge our working groups after dinner time to start working on what our appearances together will look like. So. That's something to look forward to," Erik says. 

"God. I'm never going to sleep at normal hours again, am I?" Charles asks. 

Erik chuckles. "Not for another few weeks, no. Welcome to the royal life, darling. We're glad to have you." 

***

There's tired, then there's exhausted. Erik's been at both ends enough that he recognizes them both quite well. And Charles as he trudges himself into bed that night? That's just down right fatigued. Erik recognizes that as well and has felt it himself quite a few times, though not quite so severely since his eighteenth birthday when there'd been a grand succession of events to celebrate the crown prince coming of age.

Erik falls right to bed, too, though he has just enough energy to take off his shirt before he does so. He can't blame Charles for skipping that part. He's had plenty of nights where doing anything at all before falling asleep felt like far too much work. 

"Goodness. Is it like this everyday? Have you somehow been surviving like this for twenty-one years?" Charles asks, ogling him in disbelief. 

Erik shrugs. "It's not always like this. Only before very important events. But it's always... about half as hectic as this. It's not too late to back out, you know? You haven't been made public yet and I won't hold it against you if you've decided this is all just... too much." 

"God no. You're stuck with me now, darling. I just want to know in advance how much caffeine I'll be consuming from now on." 

Erik chuckles and leans over closer to gather Charles up in his arms and give him a kiss. He's got Charles right here and a great big bed to share, but the only thing he does with it is take advantage of all the space to spread out and very promptly falls asleep. Royal responsibilities, they really do ruin absolutely everything. 

***

In the morning, after reasoning, groveling, and selling his soul, Erik manages to work it out so they'll start after lunch. It's only a few hours and they'll probably work later into the night, but it means that he can take Charles to enjoy breakfast and the early morning hours down by the beach instead of cramped up in a conference room. That alone makes the whole thing worth it. 

Once they've eaten, Erik grabs Charles' hands and takes him down to walk down the beach, just close enough to the ocean that it splashes against their ankles every time the waves roll in. Erik's always liked taking advantage of the little strip of beach they have here at the palace. He'd snuck away here endless times growing up just so he could breathe and have a bit of time for himself. It feels nice to actually be able to share it for once. 

He and Charles' hands dangle down between the two of them, like they're some corny pair of lovers and not at the edge of something truly terrifying and life changing. It's nice to pretend for a while, but it has to come to an end eventually.

"This is your life, huh?" Charles asks. "Day long meetings one day and escaping to the beach a few hours the next?" 

"Sometimes there are boring networking parties with champagne, but yes. More or less," he agrees. 

"Well... I'm fully in this. No matter what," Charles promises. "Though... I can't help but wonder. Did you ever consider leaving it all? Just leaving your sister to inherit the crown?" 

Erik shrugs a bit. "Now and again, of course I did. But I can't just walk away from it all. I have a responsibility to my country, my people, my ancestors. Most of it is just for show these days anyway, but I can do a lot more good as the first openly gay mutant on the throne than as a private citizen who's entire reputation will always be 'the one who abandoned the throne'." 

"I suppose so. Well... You'll be a dashing king, so that's something, isn't it?" 

"Clearly the most important part of being a monarch. Come on, let's go change into our clothes for the day, before Ororo spots us in t-shirts and swimming trunks and has a heart attack." 


	7. Chapter 7

Two days later, some 76 hours after Erik first told his parents he's gay, he wakes up on the morning of when he's going to announce it to the world. He'd spent the night before so nervous, he could hardly breathe and he certainly couldn't bring himself to lay down and fall asleep. He'd only managed it after a long talk with Charles and some help from a hefty dose of sleeping aids. Even then, it was far after his recommended bedtime. (The one Ororo had sent him away with, for just enough sleep and optimal skin during the big day.) 

He expected to wake up feeling the same, maybe even worse, but he doesn't feel any of that. He wakes up before his alarm even rings and the only thing he feels is... calm. He doesn't know how today's going to go and there's still a large part of him that suspects it'll be a disaster, but it'll be over. Whether the country decides to embrace him and respect him for his honesty or whether they want him disinherited and exiled, he'll finally have his answer. No more panicking over the slightest bit of affection shared with Charles, no more wondering what'll come of his life in the future, no more making up worst case scenarios in his head. 

He'll finally know. 

Erik's oddly at peace with that. He gets up, careful not to wake up Charles sleeping next to him, and goes to his bedroom window to look at the shore out below. They'd slept through sunrise, but the sky still holds that beautiful orange hue to it. Not quite the star riddled darkness and not quite sky blue either. It's in transition, just like him. Whatever happens, he'll be okay. It's the first time he's let himself think that. To just breathe and accept that things will work out, no matter what. 

Behind him, Erik hears Charles stirring and a moment later, he feels his arms come up from behind him. Erik leans back into his chest and turns his head to kiss his cheek. 

"Good morning," he murmurs, like talking too loud might disturb the strange calm he'd woken up with. 

"Mornin', love," Charles mumbles, still sounding half asleep. "You're up early. How are you feeling?" 

"Good, actually. Better than I expected," he admits. 

"That's wonderful. I told you we could get through this together. Now, we have thirty-five more minutes before the alarm to get us up sounds. What do you say we spend them cuddled up in bed together?" 

"I say that sounds like an excellent idea." 

****

Spending the whole day in bed with Charles would have been a pretty fantastic day, truth be told, but Erik knows it can't last forever. He gets up when their alarm finally rings and gets to work. This will be one of the defining moments of his career, if not the most important. He's not going to look anything less than his best just because he wanted to hit the snooze button. 

He preens in the bathroom for far too long, making sure there's not a strand of hair out of place or any visible imperfections in his skin. Charles watches him from the bathroom door, looking vaguely amused. Erik would be annoyed, if he didn't appreciate Charles' nonchalance for the way it calms Erik down just slightly. It makes things be perfectly balanced when combined with Ororo having panic attacks over every other thing Erik says. 

"You look perfect. Like a storybook prince," Charles promises. "Can we go have breakfast now?" 

Erik sighs. There's going to be hair and makeup before the interview anyway, he supposes. "All right. But I hope you know that Ororo is going to fuss over your hair. She doesn't appreciate the just out bed ruffled look the way I do." 

Charles laughs. "Oh, I'm sure she'll come around." 

Breakfast isn't the same casual affair of the other mornings Charles was here, no matter how much Erik would just like some relaxing normalcy before the big day. Instead, his parents, Ruth, and Magda are there, along with Ororo who's determined to have them run through their soundbites and interview questions one more time before the real thing. 

Everything they're rehearsing is just the logical things - he's talking about how he loves his country and being open will make him more equipped to run it, his parents and Ruth are talking about loving him unconditionally and giving him and Charles their full support, Magda's going to explain that she has no hard feelings towards Erik and supports him in this new stage, and Charles is mostly just going to sit quietly and look proper - but Ororo refuses to let them improvise through it. Her and her team put hours of work into making sure they say the obvious in as harmless a way as possible, that will appeal to as many demographics as possible. It's a science that Erik doesn't pretend to understand, but is used to having to deal with. 

Charles keeps up a running commentary in Erik's head about it, which Erik occasionally snickers about under his breath. Needless to say, Erik's not Ororo's favorite person right now. But at least he's still calm when the time comes and he walks over to the sitting room turned studio with Charles and Ororo. They've brought in a news team from a local Genoshan channel for an exclusive that they'll film here in the palace to air tonight, followed by a live press conference. They're all filming their parts separately and, of course, Erik's part is coming up first. 

Alison Blaire had enjoyed a short-lived, but incredibly fun and memorable music career as Dazzler in the 70s and 80s. She'd moved to Genosha in the 90s thanks to their always rather progressive stance on mutants and had established herself as a beloved news anchor there. She'd been responsible for some of the most widespread, persistently positive coverage of the island's crown prince when Erik's mutation became public knowledge and since then, she'd been the royal family's go to for any important announcements. It had been a no brainer to have her host Erik's coming out interview. 

She's only known what she was really called in for all of twenty or so minutes, having been briefed just before Erik's arrival to the sitting room, but she still smiles at him as calmly as if this is a completely normal, routine interview. She curtsies as protocol dictates before shaking Erik's hand and greets Ororo with a familiarity that only comes from having braved many a political disaster together. 

"Prince Magnus, it's so lovely to see you again! It's such an honor to do this for you and the royal family. On behalf of the whole studio, let me just say how amazed we are at your bravery, Your Highness," she says, gesturing for him to sit down across from her. "Anything before we start? A snack or beverage? Another moment to review both our notes?" 

"No, no. I'm just... I'm ready to start," Erik promises. 

He doesn't feel the terrible nerves of before, but he's afraid if he waits too long, he'll find some reason or another to back out of this. He just needs to dive into it with the same recklessness his parents and tutors always tried so hard to get him to abandon. Charles is standing in the back with Ororo and the rest of the production and PR team, waiting until his cue to get brought in and introduced as Erik's boyfriend and suitor. But even while he stands over there, Erik can feel his presence in the back of his mind, a quiet and comfortable hum to give him the energy to get through this whole thing. 

***

Erik should have probably known before this even started that it would all end up passing by in the blink of an eye. It's almost anticlimatic really. Once the interview starts, a strange mixture of adrenaline and media training takes over him and he doesn't even have to think anymore. It's just like having the world's strangest out of body experience. He'd already spent so long hiding all of this from everyone, that actually coming out doesn't even feel real anymore. He half expects to wake up in his bed at any point during the interview and weirdly, it makes it all far easier to stomach. 

When his interview is over, he gets shuffled out to another room to have lunch and wait, while his parents and sister come in to do their own interview. It's a fairly boring lunch, nothing with any risk of messing up his outfit or getting him too greasy or unappealing. But Erik will take one day of dry sandwiches before the rest of his life. 

"Well... I think you looked very professional in that interview," Charles says, after a long stretch of silence. "I think the Genoshan people will get a chance to see how very lucky they are to have you as prince. And you? How are you feeling about it?" 

"Mostly I'm just glad it's over," he admits. "We just finished up the interview half an hour ago and I've already forgotten most of it. It just went by... like a blur. I'm mostly hoping the rest of tonight will be like that. As well as the aftermath. I'm perfectly fine just blacking out for all the difficult parts and being brought back to full attention when everything calms down and I can go back to being the slightly rebellious, just a bit too dramatic prince for the tabloids to meet their quotas." 

Charles chuckles. "You're certainly a man that knows what you want. While I can't promise any spontaneous blackouts, I'm quite confident it will go well." 

***

Unfortunately, he doesn't actually blackout at the beginning of the press conference. It would have been quite the mercy, but instead, he's painfully aware of every second. The interview airs just before the conference, so it plays on a television in the room before they start. 

It doesn't even feel like watching himself come out of the closet. It's like he's watching a stranger. A stranger he's very nervous for. He's horrifically nervous the entire time it plays. His palms are sweaty, his throat feels like it's about to close up, his eyes are starting to sting from tears he's not letting swell up in his eyes. 

The second the interview is over and the questions start, though, his media training takes over and he sits up straight and confident, as though he isn't about to have a full blown panic attack behind this desk at any second. As expected, the press room turns into absolute chaos as soon as questions are accepted. Everyone wants a quote from the prince on such a big story and everyone has questions. Erik is barely aware of any of it happening. His ears are ringing too loud to hear anyone's names or publications, they just zero in on the questions and then to the little voice in the back of his mind parroting all of Ororo's prepared answers back to him. Thankfully, everything they ask is something Ororo had already thought of and fabricated answers for beforehand. 

"Did your parents know? Did Magda?" 

"What will the family do about heirs?" 

"Will you still be the heir to the throne after this? Will Princess Ruth take over instead?" 

"Prince Magnus, do you really think having a non-Genoshan partner is what the country needs after such surprising news?" 

Everything, no matter how much it might sting, he's prepared for. Ororo might be a pain to deal with sometimes, with her long hours and strict practices, but her methods are undoubtedly effective. His heart is about to beat out of his chest, his ears are ringing, and he's painfully aware of his lips and mouth and teeth as they formulate each and every word. But through it all, he keeps going, as calm and collected as someone could possibly be in this situation. 

When time is called on the press conference, he bids everyone a good night and leaves through the back exit, walking confidently and with his head held high, like he doesn't have a single concern in the world. The second he's out of sight, he all but collapses into Charles' waiting arms, but no one needs to know that. As far as the reporters know, he's just completely unbothered by all this, like it's not a big deal at all. 

Charles ushers him over to the adjoining green room and as soon as the door closes behind him, his sister uncorks a bottle of champagne in celebration. Erik laughs and grabs the bottle. He doesn't have any other public events today, so even Ororo doesn't seem to mind when some of the foam spills over the bottle and down onto his trousers. He'll regret it later, when everything is sticky with champagne and he realizes he might have stained a perfectly good suit, but right now, he's too relieved to mind being silly. 

"Congratulations, you've come out of the closet!" Ruth says. She reaches into his pocket and takes his phone before he can stop her. He could just grab it back with his powers whenever, of course, but he plays along. "No checking social media or the news for twelve hours. Tonight is just you, me, Magda, and Charles partying. How's that sound?" 

"For the record, I think it sounds wonderful and I  _ will  _ lovingly bully Erik into agreeing," Charles pipes up. 

Erik rolls his eyes and goes to pour out flutes of champagne for all of them. "All right, all right. A coming out beach party between us tonight. Let's do it." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, I genuinely just forgot to update :') 
> 
> cw: alcohol

To absolutely no one's surprise, a post coming out celebration is mostly just drinking at the beach. It feels like being back in high school, when he and Magda would sometimes sneak out here and drink cheap wine together. They could have easily raided the kitchen for the finest alcohol money could buy, but they'd both agreed that cheap alcohol is an integral part of teenagehood and it just wouldn't do to constantly live off champagne and artisanal beer. 

It feels different now. Of course it does. They're older, Erik's in a real relationship and he's finally stopped lying to the rest of the world. It would be weird if it didn't feel different. Erik just hadn't realized how badly he wanted this until now that he finally has it. It's the lightest he's felt in years. He even lets Ruth bully him into taking his shoes off, rolling up his trousers so he can walk with his feet in the water. Everything, Erik's come to realize, is better with a boyfriend whose hand he can publicly hold, even just drinking aimlessly on the beach. 

Charles is already a drink or two too far in, like he usually does. He's always had more of a partying spirit than Erik. He's red all over and rambling to the girls about anything and everything that comes to his mind. Erik just keeps an eye on him so he doesn't end up drowning and pretends to be annoyed and disapproving, even if he is just quietly amused by it all. 

"Tomorrow's your first day full day out of the closet. What're you planning on doing with it?" Ruth asks, holding a beer bottle in front of his face like it's a microphone. 

"Put out fires, most likely. And nurse this one's hangover." Erik chuckles and gestures over to Charles, who huffs in offence, but doesn't bother to defend himself. 

"Hmm. One of those sounds more difficult than the other, but at least he's cute," Magda teases. "It's getting late. I might go sleep. Congratulations again, Erik. You did amazing today, Erik, and we're all proud of how brave you've been. Don't let anything that happens from here on out convince you otherwise." 

"Ditto on everything she just said," Ruth says. She stands up, swaying a little from all the champagne they've drank today, and leans in to give Erik a hug. "I'm heading back inside to sleep, too. Don't stay out too late, boys. Ororo technically gave you tomorrow off, but we both know she'll show up by lunch with some emergency." 

Erik nods. "Trust me. I know. We'll be asleep at a reasonable hour, don't worry. Thanks for today. I needed it more than I knew." 

Erik watches them leave and then turns to Charles. They're both leaning on each other know, warm and fuzzy from the alcohol. Erik's leaning because he likes being close to Charles like this. Charles, he suspects, is doing it more because it's the only way he can manage to stay up. Erik kisses the top of his head. 

"They're right, you know? We should start heading back to the room soon. You and I both need our beauty sleep," Erik says. 

Charles scoffs drunkenly. "As if either of us need any help being handsome. No more drinking, but can we stay out here a while longer? I like it here. The moon, the sea, it's all very beautiful." 

"All right. But just a while longer." 

Erik closes all the opened bottles of alcohol they have laying around and stands up. He holds his hand out for Charles to hold and then takes him to walk down the beach a bit. Erik's always liked doing that, especially when he was a little buzzed from a night of champagne or cheap beer with Magda. The cold water mingled pleasantly with his fuzzy mind and everything seemed far more beautiful than normal. 

Magda had always worried he was going to manage to drown in two inches of water, no matter how much Erik insisted he was perfectly capable of walking even after a few drinks. He'd thought it was a ridiculous tic of hers, but now that he has someone he loves with all his heart walking next to him, he's come to understand those worries of hers. 

"Don't fall," Erik warns "It would be horribly embarrassing for me if I had to go on the air tomorrow and explain that my boyfriend's drowned a few hours after introducing him to the world." 

Charles grins at him. "Hmm. But then imagine how dashing you'll look while diving into knee high water to rescue me. Exactly the sort of thing everyone wants their prince to be doing, gay or not. But I know how vain you are. I'll make sure you don't have to get that fancy shirt of yours wet." 

"How noble of you." Erik snorts softly. "I'll have to bring you on one of these moonlit beach walks when you're sober. I used to come here all the time when I was growing up. It's a great place to settle down all sorts of thoughts." 

"I'll hold you to that. Now. What are the chances I convince you to give me a piggyback ride back to your room?" 

"Only because you're such an endearing drunk. But after this, I'm lacing your bones with metal so I can just start floating you around everywhere like a spare coin." 

"Lucky me!" 

***

Erik sleeps in the next morning, which for him really just means he gets up at half past eight. Still, it's nice to wake up simply because he's awake now and not to the blaring of an alarm telling him he needs to hurry up and go to the next meeting or damage control. 

Like Ruth said, he's almost certainly going to be called into some unscheduled meetings later in the day for damage control, but for now, he just enjoys the relative freedom. He turns over onto his side and wraps an arm around Charles to pull him in closer for a few minutes until they have to get up. 

Charles lets out a pitiful groan. In a sleep addled voice, he mumbles, "It's too bright in this room... How dare you be awake and happy right now? You're practically radiating a good mood, which is... unsettling coming from you." 

"We all tried to warn you that you were drinking too much last night," Erik points out. He kisses the back of Charles' shoulder gently, but doesn't do anything to pull the blinds shut. "I'm just pleased. No alarms waking me up today, no early morning meetings. Hopefully, I'll have until lunch before I even have to worry about anything related to yesterday." 

Charles sighs and flops over onto his back, dramatic as ever. "I suppose that does sound nice. Although I don't need alarms. Not when I have a morning person as a boyfriend to wake me up every morning. Unfortunately." 

"If it wasn't for me, you would be entirely nocturnal. At least I wake you up with kisses. Usually." 

"Kisses that come far too early. But... still kisses I suppose. Now shush. I'm sure I can get five more minutes of sleep." 

Erik rolls his eyes, as he always does when Charles keeps desperately trying for a few minutes of sleep like this, but he doesn't insist on waking him up. He just enjoys silence for a few minutes, laying in bed with Charles. It's much more enjoyable now that he knows his life won't come crashing to a halt if someone happens to walk in and see the two of them together. 

Eventually, he manages to get them both up and dressed so they can go down to breakfast with his parents. Charles looks like a bit of a wreck, dark circles under his eyes and his hair in a bit of a mess. At least he manages to make it look charming instead of disheveled and degenerate like Erik probably would. 

There's a spread of everything they could want at breakfast, as well as mimosas that make Charles look queasy when he spots them. Erik just laughs and grabs one before he sits between Charles and Ruth. 

"I see we're leaning full into celebrating with brunch, huh?" Erik asks. 

"It's something worth celebrating," his mother says. "You deserve to enjoy it for a few more hours before having to get back to the reality of politics." 

"Ah. So there's already been backlash to deal with, huh?" Erik picks up on. Not that it's surprising. There'd been a small part of him that still expected to get woken up in the middle of the night because of some crisis. 

His mother smiles, sheepish. "Nothing you need to worry about right now. It can wait until this afternoon. Just enjoy breakfast." 

"Hmm. All right. So long as the palace isn't about to catch fire," Erik decides. 

He grabs another bagel and reaches around to steal Ruth's mimosa from her. If he is going to have to deal with some crisis in a bit, he might as well fully enjoy the celebration while it lasts. 

***

"So, here's the deal. Senator Shaw is going to introduce legislation to bring forth absolute primogeniture. Retroactively." 

Erik lets out a long sigh. He can already feel more grey hairs coming in around his temple. He should have known that it would be Sebastian Shaw of all people who would lead the cavalry with any retaliation against him for this. Shaw had been trying to absolve the monarchy since the beginning of his career, but only so he could implant his own family onto the throne instead. He's just glad that Ororo is as matter of fact about this as everything else, instead of beating around the bush to preserve his feelings or however else some other people in her position might have put it. 

They'd actually made it until a few hours after lunch before having to come down and start handling business. It's still less than twenty four hours when he can truly just enjoy being out and stress-free, but it's better than nothing. Now, Erik just settles down with some well made scotch for a meeting that is almost definitely going to run through dinner. 

"Well. It's a clever approach, I have to give him that. It'll be hard for me to argue against that without coming off looking like the asshole." Erik shrugs. He despises Shaw, but he can recognize a sharp mind when he sees it. 

"It certainly doesn't help," Ororo agrees. "He's made so many suspicious comments against you and your family in the past, though, that we should be able to spin this as a bad-spirited personal attack. It just might not catch on as quickly as we'd like. It's difficult to argue in favor of skipping over female heirs in this day and age." 

"Because we shouldn't. And I'd be happy to pass over my title to Ruth, but I know that's not what he's really aiming for," Erik grumbles. He's wanted a fairer inheritance system in the family for ages, he's just annoyed it had to come as some thinly veiled homophobic attack against him. 

"Trust me, I don't want the throne. It's far too much responsibility for my taste. And I'm not nearly prepared enough as is," Ruth says, shaking her head. This is an all-family meeting, since it's an all-family type of emergency. "We could let the legislative change pass and then I'll abdicate." 

"If it comes to that, perhaps we might. But it's important we make it clear that we see this for the homophobic dog whistle it is and we won't stand for it. Ignoring it and dealing with the consequences later could bring a whole other wave of problems," Ororo explains. "Really, the best we could get at this moment is for the proposal to no longer be retroactive. The palace would get the win for switching to more progressive policies and Erik wouldn't lose his spot in line. Would that be amenable to everyone here?" 

"So long as I don't need to be Queen, I'm on board with anything," Ruth promises. She shudders dramatically, as though they don't already get the message. Erik would be offended, but he knows that if he finds the idea horrifying, it must be even worse for Ruth who'd never even been trained for this.

"Wonderful. I was thinking of arranging something - perhaps dinner and a ball? - in celebration of Prince Magnus coming out. I'll invite senators who are already on your side and some of the swing voters and we'll take advantage of the event to mingle and get them on our side of the vote. If we play our cards right, we should be able to handle it without getting much more dramatic than that," Ororo assures them. 

And to Erik, that sounds perfectly agreeable. It's certainly less than they've had to do in situations like these and it'll be as good a first political engagement for Charles as anything else. Of course, the way Charles' face pales and the nerves he radiates probably means he doesn't agree, but... it's like a band-aid, right? He'll get used to the public life eventually. At least... well. Erik hopes he will. 


	9. Chapter 9

If there's one thing good thing to be said about the monarchy as an establishment, it's that they can throw together massive parties in no time at all. They make the decision to throw a ball to schmooze every politician they can and within twenty-four hours, invitations are sent out and everything's in motion to have the event that same weekend. Even Charles, Oxford's resident partier, is impressed. Erik's pretty sure there's always a party planned and waiting on hold, just for moments like these. He likes to joke that it'll be one of the top secret things he'll have access to once he's king. 

Which might happen sooner rather than later. Or not. Who knows at this point? The twice daily briefs Erik gets about the situation make it seem like it's not too dire and while the new legislation isn't unpopular, it also doesn't necessarily have the traction to pass. It also seems like most of public opinion is in Erik's favor, with the majority of people supporting him for his honesty and for him possibly ushering Genosha into a new, more progressive era. Of course, Erik also knows that the briefs he and his family get are always careful not to be too negative. He suspects the world could start burning down around them and their briefs would try to put a positive spin to it for them. 

He would check for himself, but his phone and social media is still on lockdown. He'd gotten it back, but it had somehow been rigged so he can never successfully use it to look up himself or Genoshan current events. No matter how many times he tries to restart the devices with his own electromagnetic powers. It must have been done by some mutant with technological powers if it can withstand so much tinkering from him. Erik has to admire the creativity, even if he's annoyed at being kept in the dark for so long. It doesn't stop him from trying to restart his phone every chance he gets. 

"Are you resetting to factory settings  _ again _ ?" Charles asks, when he sees Erik taking apart and putting his cellphone back together again while he gets dressed for the day. 

Erik sighs. "It's worth a shot! I feel like I'm in the world's most unexciting lockdown." 

Charles shrugs and comes up to grab his newly put together phone and put it away in a drawer. "Probably because you are. Following the news down to the second isn't going to change any of what happens. I don't see the point of torturing yourself like this, Erik. We're all being told what's important. The rest is out of our hands." 

"Yes, well..." Erik grumbles softly under his breath. "You know how much I hate the things I can't control." 

"I know. Trust me, I know." Charles shakes his head fondly. "Why don't we go over our outfits for the gala? That's something to keep your mind occupied and we might still be in time to change it if you want." 

Erik knows he's not going to change his outfit at this point and he knows Ororo and his styling team would probably die of a heart attack if he asked them to change something so late in the game, but it's an excellent distraction, just like Charles suggests it is, so he nods and follows Charles over to their outfits and shoes and accessories for the night, to let himself get distracted in the one part of his life he's always been allowed to fuss and lean into his femininity. 

***

Most of Erik's job, his whole family's job, is symbolism. He knows that, everyone in charge of their image knows that, most of the country knows that. Erik had been taught from a very young age how important it was to look his best, the importance of certain images and the metaphors he could convey with his very being. Erik's painfully aware that especially at events like these, he's pretty much just a living, breathing personification of the monarchy to walk around and charm everyone in sight. 

He's not surprised that tonight is all about that. He's dressed up for an official royal function, like the type that only happens every few years and gets televised for the type of people that find that sort of thing entertaining. Erik's always hated that sort of thing, even if it did give him a great excuse to dress up. He gets medals he never earned pinned on his chest, expensive signet rings rented out from the royal treasury, and the crown prince's circlet even makes a rare appearance. 

It's exactly the sort of thing that everyone expects him to go out with all the time, a thin golden ring that he's had to wear since he turned thirteen, back when it fit him too big and slipped down around his eyes every few minutes. It fits him properly now, nestled among his curls and even among his tumultuous relationship with the thing, Erik has to admit it's beautiful. It's crafted from impossibly expensive metals, made to look like entwined branches all throughout except for a tiny, jewel encrusted replica of their country's coat of arms at the very front of it. Erik is doubly appreciative of the craftsmanship because of his powers, he just thinks it would look far better in a glass encasement in a museum somewhere instead of the top of his head. 

His distaste for the circlet is lessened somewhat when he spots Charles in the corner of his mirror, ogling him up with hunger he hasn't seen since the first night they were together. Erik supposes seeing one's boyfriend in a crown for the first time adds a similar level of mystery to life as spotting a prince from across the room at a party. Erik smirks and turns to face Charles. 

"Do you like it?" he asks. "I never quite cared for it myself, but... my mind could certainly be changed." 

"I think you look particularly dashing in it, yes," Charles agrees, stepping closer and giving him a quick peck. "But I'll have to change your mind  _ after  _ the event is over, because as handsome as you are, I'm not going to fall for your tricks. No vigorous activity before the event is over. Ororo said so." 

"Spoilsport," Erik grumbles, then goes back to double checking all the finer details of the night's outfit. He's willing to show up looking dishevelled and scandalous if it's because he and Charles were getting frisky, but barring anything below that, he wants to look perfect, thank you very much. Events like these were about as close to going into war as Erik was ever going to get and despite all his other feelings about things like this, there would always be a fiery part of Erik that couldn't wait to run off into battle. 

***

When they were younger, Erik and Ruth used to rank different royal protocols according to how ridiculous and annoying they found them. They'd stopped eventually, because the older they got, the more it seemed like they were all equally ridiculous and there was simply no salvaging any logic or dignity when it came to royal protocol. Now that Erik's older and he's attending all these functions with someone he actually loves and wants to marry, he's starting to rerank protocols and getting to a clear winner every time: entry protocol. 

Because absolutely every bit of their lives has to be dictated by rules as old as their country, they can't even just walk into any of their own parties. No, no. The party starts without them, while they wait in a nearby room so they can be brought inside one by one with the appropriate gravitas. Someone announces them as they walk in and everyone claps politely and then while not technically required, they go and make rounds to say hello to everyone who's attended the event. Erik's always disliked the process of it all, but it's so much worse when he really just wants to find Charles and do as little socializing as he can get away with throughout this whole thing. 

He feels like personally going to the graves of all his ancestors and asking why they doomed him to hours full of awkward small talk when all he wants is to hide away in a corner with Charles. He's trying not to make it obvious that he's looking for Charles, lest someone end up offended that he looks less than enthusiastic for their small talk with the prince. He feels someone tap him on the shoulder and he turns, hoping it's Charles having found him first. Instead, it's just someone who makes him wish he'd never cared about being polite in the first place and had simply ignored everyone in favor of searching for Charles properly. 

Senator Shaw.

Erik has to hold back a sneer. They're publicly feuding right now, but it doesn't excuse either of them from the song and dance of this whole thing. In fact, they probably have more eyes on them right now. This whole place is probably just dying to overhear some drama or find out a breaking story before anyone else. He wishes Shaw hadn't bothered to come, but he knows Ororo had invited all the Senators and Shaw would never pass up the chance at playing mind games with Erik by coming where he's not wanted. 

"Senator. How wonderful to see you," Erik says, smiling stiffly at him. Behind Shaw's shoulder, he sees no less than three invited guests turn their heads to stare at the interaction. 

Shaw bows shallowly, making it look sarcastic somehow. "Prince Magnus, it's wonderful to see you as well. So wonderful to have you back on Genoshan soil after a long semester. The island missed you so." 

Erik's been living this life long enough to read all the messages between his words. ' _ You've been gone too long, you're hardly one of us anymore'.  _ When news of Erik's enrollment of Oxford was made public, there had been a 'leaked' audio of Shaw criticizing him for leaving the island, never mind that it was customary for Genoshan princes to be educated in Europe and America. The whole thing had blown over, but Erik had never forgotten. Certainly not now as he forces himself to be polite to his least favorite person in the world. "Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? Thankfully, I think I'll be around more often soon. I've found the more I leave, the stronger the desire to come back." 

"How... nice. And Princess Ruth? How is she? She hasn't made her entrance yet, has she?" he asks and makes a show of looking around the ballroom for her. 

"Probably doing some last minute touch up. I'm sure she'll join us soon enough. I can pass a message along to her, if you'd like." 

"I'm sure it won't be necessary. Enjoy your dance, Your Highness. I'm positive it will be memorable." 

And translated into common English, their conversation would have sounded a little more like this: 

_ 'I might have been gone, but you'll never be rid of me. Genosha is mine and I'm here to stay.' _

_ 'That's a very funny notion, boy. Will your sister, the soon to be heir, be here soon? I'd like to intimidate her into dropping away from the crown as well.'  _

_ 'You'll have to get through me first.'  _

_ 'Not a worry. Enjoy the engagement, because it'll be your last royal one if I have anything to say about it.'  _

Erik waits until he's a few dozen feet away from Senator Shaw before he lets himself scowl, because then at least he can claim he's upset at something completely unrelated. Surviving this life is all about stupidly unbelievable plausible deniability. 

By some grace of God, he spots Charles among the crowd and makes it to him before someone else can stop him for a chat or thinly veiled threats. Erik's not so sure he could put up another act so quickly after dealing with Shaw. He comes up behind Charles and wraps his arm around his waist, tugging him closer. He doesn't even care that he's interrupting Charles' conversation with Senator Wyngarde and that he'll definitely hear about it from his parents later. He just cares about being near Charles right now. 

"There you are!" Charles exclaims, grinning up at him. "You looked very handsome during your entrance." 

"Thank you. I'm going to kiss you now and there will probably be a few scandalized gasps and a slap on the wrist about it later. Okay?" 

Erik leans down and kisses him, too deeply and for too long to count as the chaste pecks that are allowed at these sorts of things. There really are a few muffled gasps and even a few phones that come up not so sneakily to take a picture of them kissing. But Erik doesn't pay any mind to it. This is his game and he'll be damned if they don't play by his rules. 


	10. Chapter 10

By the end of the gala, Erik's pretty sure that half of Genosha's elite are head over heels in love with Charles. Not that he can blame them. Erik knows first hand just how charming Charles can be. It's a relief, though, when the event is wrapping up and no less than a dozen tipsy politicians come to shake their hands and give Erik a private reassurance of their support. It's the whole reason they'd had this event, after all. 

There's still a few stragglers taking advantage of the free alcohol, but it's gotten late enough that Erik can make a polite exit. His mother and father had disappeared close to an hour ago already, claiming that it was too late, but that by all means, the party should go on without them. It was a celebration for Erik, after all, and partying until the early hours of the morning is just what young people did. Which might have been true, but right now, Erik would much prefer a quiet night with Charles to spending a whole night out with every other under 35 noble or politician on the island.

So they split the difference and sneak away a few minutes after two in the morning, when no one could fault the prince for ending his night and leaving the stragglers to fend for themselves. Erik holds Charles' hands while he leaves and kisses him in the hallway and doesn't give a damn who sees and sure, most of it is the champagne bubbling inside of him, but he's pretty sure he's never been more content with life than he is right now. 

"Well. I think I can wholeheartedly say that was a very successful first royal engagement," Erik declares.

"It's sort of like being at one of my mother's parties, but with the difficulty turned up to high. And considerably higher stakes," Charles ponders. He lets himself into Erik's room like he's been living there forever and immediately starts undressing for bed, leaving crumpled up clothing on the floor wherever they landed. "Are you overcome with love for me, darling? I pretty much just did the equivalent of going to war for you, right?" 

"I'm not going to answer that, because your ego is disastrous enough as it is." Erik snorts softly. 

He picks up Charles' clothing as he does and puts it in the proper hamper, because he has a feeling living with Charles' chaos will be a part of life from now on and he needs to start practicing. In the time it takes him to undress properly and gather up Charles' clothes, Charles is already stripped down to his boxer briefs and splayed out on the bed. Erik huffs fondly and sets up some water and aspirin on Charles' side of the bed, because he has a feeling he's going to need it. 

When Erik finally gets into bed, he gathers Charles up close and kisses his forehead. Softly - half because he doesn't need to give Charles more fodder and half because he suspects he might be sleeping already - he murmurs, "Thanks for going to war with me today." 

***

For the most part, royal bedrooms are off limits. They're like sanctuaries and can only be entered through invitation and even then, only the absolute most personal of friends can get invited in. It's equally perfect for teenage angst as it is for escaping an exhausting social function. A little bubble away from the world. 

For the most part. 

Sometimes, that sanctuary is worth nothing in the face of whatever crisis they're all dealing with at the moment. In those cases, some poor, brave soul comes in to interrupt whatever's going in inside the bedrooms, no matter how embarrassing or how needed. Whatever crisis is going on in the world overcomes the need for intimacy or sleep. Erik's mostly gotten away with that, being a minor for most of his life and being away at foreign schools for most of his time since coming of age. 

He's no stranger to unpleasant wake up calls, though. It's never a good sign to receive one. The last time Erik was woken up unexpectedly by an actual person in his bedroom, as opposed to with many frantic phone calls, there had been a terrorist attack in a nearby country and reason to suspect Genosha might be targeted next. Not exactly a pleasant memory. 

So when Erik's shaken awake by Ororo in his bed at some ungodly hour - truthfully, it's a quarter past seven, but he's still exhausted from the ball and mildly hungover - he's not caught completely off guard. And he knows that no matter how bad whatever news she's here to deliver, it can't be as bad as a possible incoming terrorist attack. So he just sighs, rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and sits up. 

"I hope you have a very good reason to wake us up like this," he mumbles, though he knows she wouldn't have been allowed inside if she didn't. 

Charles wakes up from the noise and lets out an undignified yelp when he spots Ororo. He scrambles and trashes so much, he almost tumbles out of the bed. Ororo does an excellent job at ignoring him while she debriefs Erik. "There's going to be an emergency session of parliament today and everyone's already saying that Shaw's going to rush a vote. You've got him nervous after last night, it seems."

"Good nervous?" Erik verifies. He yawns and gets up out of bed so he can find a t-shirt to put on. He has very little shame at this point in his life, but talking to his royal advisor white shirtless in bed with his boyfriend feels like a low even for him. Charles is still looking at them like they've lost their mind, but he'll get used to things like this sooner or later. 

"We think so. Public opinion is in your favor and you did good last night. It might be a closer victory margin than we'd like, but we're all being cautiously optimistic. Get dressed and come down to the briefing room. I'm keeping you and your sister far away from public eyes until this is over," Ororo says. 

She makes sure Charles knows that includes him as well and then leaves the room. Judging by when the sound of her heels on the floor stops, Erik would bet she's waiting just outside the door to barge in and start rushing them if they take too long. Not that Erik was planning on loitering. He loves getting carried away with Charles in the mornings when they're trying to get ready, but something about being some deadbeat minor noble's political punching bag is perfect for killing the mood no matter what. 

Charles gets up out of bed finally, mumbling something about not wanting to be seen in his underwear first thing in the morning by anyone other than Erik. Which is adorably optimistic about the working hours they're going to have, especially when Erik's done with school and has to take on more responsibility. But that's just something he'll get used to with some more time. (Hopefully.)

"Do you often get woken up like this? Because I might start wearing a shirt to bed if that's the case." Charles sighs. "I thought you said no one came in here unless you gave the okay." 

"Emergencies are an exception. It doesn't happen too often, honestly. Ororo must be more nervous than she's letting on if she woke us up like this, but... if she says things look to be in our favor, I believe her. It's probably just a very narrow margin of error," Erik explains. 

"She seemed on edge, but she does most of the time. You're a difficult client to manage, love," Charles teases. He comes up behind him and presses a kiss to Erik's bare shoulder before Erik pulls his shirt up the rest of the way. "But everyone was absolutely loving you at yesterday's party. I think it's all going to work out, you'll see. And if it doesn't... well, I'll be here to comfort you." 

"Which I'm very grateful for. But let's not talk about things not working out just yet. Not that I'm suspicious, it's just... Ruth is." 

Erik is one hundred percent superstitious and Charles knows it, but he's not going to admit to it so easily. Thankfully, Charles just goes along with it after a knowing laugh and goes to start getting dressed. Erik even lets him put on one of those adorably frumpy outfits of his, because they're going to be hidden from the public eye until after the vote anyway. Erik's half sure his sister's going to show up in sweatpants and if he weren't so uptight, he would do the same thing. He likes his nice clothes, though. They make him feel protected from all the political warfare. Just like he's pretty sure Charles' cozy professor aesthetics make him feel protected from the unsavory aspects of academia. 

Just before they head out of his bedroom, Erik reaches up and tidies up Charles' hair for him. It's nauseatingly domestic, but he doesn't mind all that much. He's weirdly endeared by it, truly. Charles must be feeling similarly because he smirks up at Erik as he grabs his hand out in the hallway. 

"That's going to be the rest of our life, huh? Heading out to fancy events in the evening and you fixing me up for the public before we head out in the mornings?" Charles asks. "Because I can get used to that." 

"The lifestyle suits you," Erik agrees, rather amused at the fact. 

Ororo starts walking as soon as they open the door, so they have no choice but to start following down the hallway with a power walk to match her own. Actually, when he thinks about it, Erik's pretty touched that she's this concerned about a vote that might kick him down the line of inheritance. It just means she's taken a liking to him, because he has a feeling she wouldn't be quite as frantic in some publicity scandal for his parents or sister. They're not exactly friends, but they've bonded about the mutant thing before and Erik's grateful to have her on his team. 

When they come up to their impromptu situation room, Ruth is curled up the couch with a bowl of cereal and a grumpy scowl on her face. She's never been a morning person and Erik's reminded of many disastrous early morning engagements she stumbled through. She'll have her revenge for this, he's sure, but for now, Erik just sits down next to her and pats her knee. 

"Did you get a wake up call, too?" 

"Wake up call?" she grumbles. "I had  _ just  _ changed out of my party dress and gotten ready for bed. Seriously, Erik, how did your straight older sister party harder at your own coming out party?" 

"That's perfect, actually. Showing people exactly why I'm better suited for kingship," Erik teases. 

"Trust me, I'm not going to fight you over that one. If it was up to me, I'd drop out of the race entirely," she scoffs. "Now. I'm going to eat this cereal, drink water, and fall asleep on this couch. If either of you boys wakes me up, you won't have to worry about succession, because I'll murder you before it even becomes a problem." 

And even though Erik's long since been the bad boy sibling, he definitely believes her, so he ushers Charles over to another corner of the room and bunkers down for a long day of mostly worrying and doing absolutely nothing. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: alcohol

One would think that the revelation of news that might change Erik's entire life would arrive with some flair. That maybe there'd be some huge announcement and some dramatic gasping or maybe someone would even drop a glass and it would shatter at just the right moment for peak drama. At the very least, Erik would expect someone to come running in and reveal the news between breathless gasps. 

Instead, it all boils down to someone coming in during the early evening and passing an envelope to Ororo. It's some intern with plenty of practice at revealing absolutely nothing through facial expressions, so even though Erik and Ruth both freeze and stare her down for a hint, she reveals nothing. She just puts the envelope in Ororo's hands and walks away like she might not be holding something that could completely ruin both their lives. 

Ororo motions to get their attention, as though Erik and Ruth aren't already staring her down, and sits down across from them. She opens the envelope and pulls the end of day report out. She reads it over, just as steely faced as her intern, and Erik's pretty sure Ruth is about to jump out of her seat and rip the paper out of her hands. Finally, though, she clears her throat and puts it down. "Congratulations, Your Highnesses. You're not going to have to frantically train to become Queen, Princess Ruth. And Prince Magnus, you'll be retaining your title. It was a narrow margin, so we'll have to keep going with damage control and increasing your public approval ratings, but we're out of the immediate danger zone by now." 

They can hardly hear the last part of her statement, because Ruth squeals and pretty much jumps into Erik's lap in her haste to hug him. "Oh, thank God!" she cries out. At this point, Erik's pretty sure she would have been more upset than him if she ended up having to inherit the crown. Not that Erik can blame her. 

"You can go back to enjoying the money and power without an ounce of responsibility," Erik agrees, laughing as he pats her shoulder. 

"Congratulations, darling." Charles leans over and kisses his cheek. "Not to be rude, but does this mean we can finally leave this room? Because I didn't expect my summer on a tropical island to be made up mostly of holing up inside PR disaster rooms." 

"It's pretty much always like this," Erik says apologetically. "But I'm sure we can have a few days off to just enjoy ourselves before going back into full press mode. We can spin it and talk about how we're taking advantage of all that Genosha has to offer. Right, Ororo?" 

She doesn't seem particularly happy about it, but Ororo sighs and nods. "I'm sure we can figure something out that will be more like a vacation than a press tour." 

"I'll hop along with you and just do nothing but have a good time, because I'm  _ officially  _ the spare!" Ruth has somehow already managed to pop open a bottle of champagne and she's pouring out glasses for all of them. 

Erik rolls his eyes. Anyone who says that he's the dramatic sibling has clearly not spent enough time around Ruth. But he's feeling pretty good about today, too, so he just rolls his eyes fondly and joins her in a celebratory glass. This is probably the first time in a while that Erik's been able to breathe without feeling like the world's going to crash down on him at any second. 

***

By the grace of God and Ororo, they actually both get to sleep in and relax the next morning. There's no hangovers from any parties, no media training to get to, no interviews to give. It's just him and Charles and spending far too long in their bed together. Erik knows these sort of days are going to be rare throughout the whole of his career, but at least they can enjoy it right now. 

Erik's about to suggest they have food delivered to their room for lunch just so they can spend some more time in bed, but his phone lights up with a message from his parents before he can. He sighs softly and leans over to rest his chin on Charles' shoulder. "My parents asked if we'd like to have lunch together. Are you up for it?" 

"I'm not going to reject a King and Queen's lunch invite, Erik!" Charles sputters, appalled. "Isn't that against the rules?" 

He shrugs. "Probably, but they're also my parents and coming up with an excuse to turn down lunch with your future in-laws is definitely a thing,."

"Funny. That doesn't actually make me feel better." Charles shakes his head and starts getting up out of bed. "Come on. Let's go to lunch with Their Majesties." 

Erik rolls his eyes at the title, but he gets up and gets dressed. They don't have the strict wardrobes of when they have to make public appearances and win over public opinion, but Erik's still not going to show up for lunch with his parents in nothing but his sweatpants and an old t-shirt. At least not when this is all still new and they're getting to know Charles. Not that he would ever admit to Charles that he's a little nervous about them being around each other. Charles is more than nervous enough about his parents already. 

Not that he really has anything to worry about. Erik's parents adore Charles. When they get to the dining room, they even greet Charles with a firm handshake (his father) and a kiss on the cheek (his mother) before they even acknowledge that Erik is there. Erik would be jealous if he didn't completely understand. Charles' charm is all but impossible to resist. 

"I'm so glad you boys could join us!" his mother says. "We were afraid you might just want to stay in and rest. Your sister stayed up quite late celebrating. We thought you might have done the same thing. Not that we would have blamed you. You must be very excited about the decision." 

"I'm glad that I can go through with my duty," Erik agrees. That's probably the closest he can get to saying he's happy without it seeming like an obvious lie. He wouldn't have wanted to go down in history as the king that never was because of his sexuality, but he's under no illusions that kingship is going to be a fun time. There's a reason it's the sort of job he had to be trained for since he could talk. 

"You're a good son," his father says. He nods approvingly and moves his chair closer so he can rest his hand on Erik's shoulder. "You've done this family proud and one day you'll make this whole country shine the way you do. Which is why your mother and I have been talking and... I can't promise you how much longer I can stay on the throne, but I'm sure I can redistribute some of my usual duties and stay on a while longer. At least long enough that you can finish your degree normally and ease into the role." 

"Oh." It's the last thing Erik ever expected. He'd gotten his stubbornness from his father, after all, and for better or for worse, Jakob rarely took back his decisions. He's happy, of course, but too busy just trying to process the whole thing to properly express it. He just nods slowly. "That's wonderful. Thank you, Father. I'll spend the extra time making sure I'm absolutely ready to step up when I need to. It won't catch me off guard this time." 

"I know. That's partly why I'm doing this. It wasn't very fair of me to spring that on you out of nowhere. Now that we all know where we stand, we can make sure we all prepare adequately. And Charles, seeing as when I first approached my son I didn't know you were in the picture, now you can make sure to be properly prepared for this life. Does that sound reasonable to the both of you?" Jakob asks. 

"Yes, Your Majesty," Charles agrees, nodding like an overeager puppy. Erik just nods once and reaches a hand under the table to squeeze Charles' knee. A signal both that he's being slightly adorable and that he needs to calm down. 

"Wonderful. With business aside," Jakob declares, picking up his utensils, "let's eat." 

*** 

Erik is still trying to wrap his head around the sudden change in plans when lunch is over and he goes on a walk through the palace gardens with Charles. He's gotten so used to just going along with the plan, even when he wanted different, that having the plan actually change for him for once is more than he can really process so quickly. He would have probably just gone to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling until it all makes sense if he were alone - handling things in his usual melodramatic brooding fashion, of course - but Charles can probably tell, because he's the one who insists on walking through the gardens with him. 

Erik loves his dramatic brooding, but even he is no match for Charles asking for something with his puppy dog eyes. He's almost pathetically in love if he's being honest with himself. 

It's kind of nice to be out here with Charles, to tell the truth. Not that he'll ever actually admit that out loud. (Which is sort of a moot point with a telepathic boyfriend, but oh well.) They talk about nothing for a while, just meaningless small talk or observations about the flowers in bloom or the summer breeze. This is Charles' MO whenever something is bothering Erik and Charles wants to insist they talk about their feelings. Erik's not at all surprised when, half an hour into their walk, Charles finally brings it up. 

"That was some very exciting news we got from your parents, wasn't it?" he says, glancing sideways at him. "How are you feeling about it all?" 

"I'm very lucky I'm dating a self proclaimed therapist, aren't I?" Erik teases. He doesn't ignore the question, though. He stops to ponder it and shrugs. "It's unexpected, but I'll readjust. It's more similar to my original plans, but somehow, it feels like my whole world was tipped on its axis again. I'm so used to being the one who changes for them, I can hardly even process that they're the ones doing it for a change." 

"That's perfectly reasonable. Your parents love you a great deal, you know? i haven't known them that long and even I can see it plain as day. They want to take care of you and give you the best, but they can't do that if they never know what you want, can they? If you're a son in any way like you're a boyfriend, you're not exactly the best at expressing your needs," Charles points out. 

"Well... You're right, but you don't need to rub it in," Erik grumbles. 

"Of course I'm right, I know you about as well as I know myself at this point," he reminds him. "What I mean is, now that they finally know your needs better, I'm sure they'll try their best to be as accommodating as their positions let them. And you don't need to feel guilty about those things, if that's your concern. It's perfectly all right to be a little selfish when it comes to these things. So for once, just enjoy that things are unexpectedly going your way." 

"I'll try," Erik promises. "You make it all seem very easy. Perhaps you should have been the one born a prince instead." 

"Trust me, I've known that since I was a child. Why do you think I've been working so hard to make sure I marry into it, hmm?" 

"Don't let anyone hear you say that or it'll be on the front page of every tabloid by tomorrow. And I'm really, really hoping your first solo tabloid appearance is a sex scandal." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is a coda of sorts with several short scenes and then this'll be all wrapped up :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: hospitals, alcohol

Hospital visits. Erik's been doing them since he was old enough to be classified as 'heart throb'. He's not really sure what the appeal of being visited by royalty while sick is. He can definitely understand the excitement of a celebrity from one's favorite movie, perhaps, but someone whose biggest accomplishment is who they happened to be born to isn't all that inspiring to him. But it's as popular as ever, so he and Charles are scheduled for plenty of them when they start their unofficial press tour. 

Their first visit is to a children's hospital in Hammer Bay. Erik doesn't mind the visits, but children's hospitals are as exhausting as they can get. Even without getting into how difficult it is to see children in these conditions, everyone always assumes that because he has a reputation as the country bad boy, he must hate children. He finds they're often sticky and doesn't understand them a lot of the time, but he doesn't hate them. He does hate all the hospital staff and his press handlers acting like he's about to curse out a small child at any second. 

Charles, though? Charles absolutely looks like the type of a person a child would love and no one misses a beat in picking up on it. When they get to the hospital, paps immediately go for Charles when they get out of the car and inside, all the hospital staff is making obvious heart eyes at him the entire time. Even their press handlers keep pulling Charles along first like he's the main attraction for all these kids. It doesn't hurt that this is Charles' first public appearance beside the ball. 

"The children in this ward are all in their playroom right now. They've been expecting you! Do you think perhaps you could read them a story? It would make them so happy and it'd be such a wonderful opportunity for them to practice their English!" one of the nurses exclaims. Erik has a feeling that if there weren't so much security, she'd be practically leaning off of Charles' frame. 

Charles just smiles, charming as he always is. "I think that would be much better for them than subjecting them to my Genoshan. I'm learning, but it's quite the process! I'm sure some of the kiddos can teach me a new word or two."

"They'd love to!" the nurse promises. 

Erik hangs a few steps back, along with Magda who was brought along to the event so all the gossip shows and tabloids could see that they're all still friends and there's no hard feelings. The pair of them share a knowing glance about Charles, so used to being the only ones at these things and never being quite so excellent at it despite the years of being trained in it. It figures that this would just be something else Charles is naturally excellent in. 

When they get taken over to the playroom, the children let out a cheer when Charles walks in and  _ really  _ Erik's going to need to take a closer look at all the media around Charles if this is how excited everyone is to meet him, because he needs to seriously consider getting Ororo to give him this same amount of good press. He could get used to cheers whenever he walks into a room. One of the little girls in the front row comes up to Charles and tugs on the sleeve of his sweater until he crouches down in front of her. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Xavier, our nurses told us that you're Prince Magnus' special friend. Does that mean you're going to be a princess one day?" she asks. 

Charles laughs and Erik swears that about half the room sighs dreamily in response. "Well, since I'm a boy, I would be a prince if it comes to that, but I certainly hope I'll be as pretty a princess as you. You are a princess, aren't you?" 

"Nooo! I'm just a girl!" She falls into a fit of embarrassed giggles while Charles apologizes and explains that she simply looked like every other princess he's met up until now. 

Magda snorts in soft amusement under her breath and leans in to whisper to Erik. "You've got yourself a natural here, Erik. I'd hold onto him and never let go, if I were you." 

"Trust me, I'm not planning to," Erik promises. 

He doesn't even mind letting Charles steal the spotlight from him during all these events. Not when the spotlight clearly suits him so well. 

*** 

Even though their summer is mostly traveling and making appearances so the country gets used to its gay prince and his boyfriend, it's definitely one of the best summers Erik can remember having. He gets to spend it all with his boyfriend and without worrying about whether or not he's going to get caught and involved in some massive scandal. He and Charles still have a million rules to follow, of course, all about protocol and the acceptable amount of PDA and media training and so much else that normal couples would never think twice about, but it's still a far better position to be in than Erik ever thought he'd be in. 

He's almost sad to leave the island again when he and Charles start packing to go back to Oxford for the year. Things will almost definitely calm down and go back to his relative normal there, but he'll miss Genosha. Being on his beloved island without any secrets is the most at home he's ever felt in his entire life. It seems a shame to leave it to go back to terrible English weather and classes with hungover co-eds. But staying would mean becoming king already and he's definitely not ready for that, so... a year of never ending rain it is. 

"We can always come back and visit on long weekends. And we'll be here for the holidays," Charles reminds him, probably tired of hearing Erik's mopey thoughts. "Trust me, I'm in no particularly rush to return to the weather, either." 

"I don't think anyone ever is," Erik agrees. "I suppose you have it worse than me. You actually have to teach undergraduate courses. I would never be able to. I'd threaten to kill a student on the first day and cause an international scandal."

"Which is why I'm the PhD candidate and you're the one finishing up your courses and then leaving to run a country," he agrees. 

"True..." Erik frowns as he thinks through a few things that should have been obvious long before. "What was your original plan after graduation? Were you planning on trying to find a job teaching somewhere? Doing more research? I suppose we never talked much and... well, now everything is a bit more complicated with my position." 

"I wasn't positive, to be honest. I would have probably just gone with the current and become some sort of professor. And before you go and beat yourself up because you think you've taken that away from me, I'll remind you that I'm a grown man and capable of making my own informed decisions, even if you might think I'm ruining my life on your behalf," Charles says sternly. 

"Yes, yes, I know," he grumbles. "It's just... There's lots of thing you won't be able to do while you're with me. Lots of jobs, like what you were probably originally hoping to do. I'd hate to be the one that makes you lose out on opportunities." 

"You're not making me lose out on anything. You're just giving me different options, but at the end of the day, I'm the one who decides. Agreeing to stay with you and go public like this was basically agreeing to marry you and agreeing to marry you meant changing a lot about my life, but I agreed to all of that anyway. Because I love you. That's the one thing I've always been sure about, Erik," Charles promises. 

And sure, there's a lot of things being said there, but Erik's brain can only focus in on one of them. "So... You're saying you'd marry me?" 

Charles laughs. "Erik, of course I would. I thought that would be pretty obvious by now." 

Obviously, that was pretty much a given after deciding to go public, considering how much Ororo and her team stressed that because of Erik's unique position, he had to present a stable image after his coming out. Still, it's exciting to hear the words out loud. Erik pulls him in closer to kiss him and leaves the rest of his belongings to pack up later tonight. He's still bummed about leaving Genosha, but thinking of going shopping for engagement rings soon makes the whole thing a little easier. 

***

Moving back into their apartment is slightly more exciting than it should be, mostly because every single pap within twenty miles of Oxford decides that they absolutely need to get pictures of Charles moving in with Erik. They crowd the street for the first few weeks, always hoping to get pictures of them coming and going and maybe something exciting if someone forgets to pull the blinds, but it dies down eventually. It doesn't hurt that Erik gives his security detail permission to be as aggressive as they'd like. 

Once it finally dies down, they can finally host the welcome back gathering for them and their friends. Now everyone's trying to get closer to Charles, since it's well known in town that Erik is pretty much a dead end to befriend, so they decide against a big party and just have over the little group they'd grown to trust over the last year. 

Erik still grumbles about it being too many people, but mostly because his complaints are as important an aspect of their relationship as his physical self. Thankfully for him, even the entirety of summer isn't enough to recover from the shock of finding out that your friend the prince of a foreign nation and your friend the British-American nerd were secretly dating for months, so their group is far less rowdy than normal. 

Poor Alex must be really struggling with it all, because he's still nursing his first beer of the night. "I just don't believe you two were really together that long. There's no way we wouldn't have noticed!" 

"The first thing I ever did with Charles after meeting him was sleep with him and I wouldn't know any of you if it wasn't for him, so... yes. We really have been together as long as you've known us." Erik shrugs and smirks smugly in Alex's direction. "I suppose you're just not as observant as you like to pretend you are."

"Charles told me when they were a few weeks into dating, so I can confirm that it happened under all your noses," Raven pipes up. 

"And for what it's worth," Emma says, stirring her drink delicately, "I knew as well. I was subjected to all their inappropriate thoughts about each other. And darlings, seeing as it was  _ my  _ party where you met, I hope you know I fully expect an invitation to the royal wedding." 

"I think we're  _ all  _ expecting wedding invites," Sean says. "Just for putting up with what we thought was unresolved sexual tension for so long. Don't worry, though, I give the  _ best  _ wedding gifts. Assuming they make it through customs, but you can help with that, can't you, Erik?" 

This being their friends, that of course sets off a round of bickering about who would give the best wedding gift and whether they would all be allowed to sit together or if it would be too chaotic for a royal wedding. All that before Erik even says whether he'd even  _ consider  _ letting them at the wedding. Hell, all that before they even say anything about a wedding. (They both have engagement rings already, but Ororo is waiting for just the right time to make the announcement, so they haven't started wearing them yet.) 

Erik knows he should be more annoyed by all of this right now, but mostly, he's just grateful to be back in an environment where people actually treat him like a normal human being instead of tiptoeing around him because of protocol or because they never see him as anything more than a figurehead. This group of friends might be more than most people could probably handle, but they're  _ his  _ group of friends and he'd keep them around for anything. With this group and Charles as a fiance, Erik really is ready for just about anything the world has to offer. 

***

Everyone always warned Erik that the last year of university before he went full-time with his royal duties would fly by. He hadn't paid much attention to it, probably because it's not as though he was  _ really  _ enjoying his time at university, the way that most other young royals simply let loose. He was just as closeted in college and having just as difficult a time enjoying himself, just without getting to enjoy his home island. 

This last year, being public with Charles and about who he is? It speeds by like nothing Erik's ever seen before. If this is what university was like for everyone else, he can see why even kids without a kingship looming on the other side are sad to leave it. Erik's mostly fine about going back home, especially since his father has promised to ease into things, but even he gets a little emotional when he packs up the last of his and Charles' belongings to go back to Genosha after graduation. 

"I'm going to miss this place, too," Charles says, passing Erik one of his many mugs to be wrapped up and shipped to the palace. "We made some good memories here. Even back when we were hiding. Do you think the next tenant of this place will know just how special a flat this is?" 

"I have a feeling the next tenant will be some royal chaser who seeks this out specifically because we lived here," Erik reminds him. Then sighs, because that's the last of the mugs, which means now they only have to pack up their summer clothes into suitcases and they'll be ready for the plane tomorrow morning. "I'll miss it more than I expected. I'm not really one for nostalgia, but I think I do understand it more now that I'm looking at how bare all of this is. And thinking that we're never going to step foot inside here again." 

"It is a bit eerie. And there's no shame in being sad to leave it. We made great memories here. But now we'll go and make some more in Genosha," Charles promises. 

He grabs Erik's hand and Erik heart skips a beat when he feels the cool titanium of Charles' ring against his skin. They've been publicly engaged for a few months now, but Erik still feels a little giddy at every reminder of it. A part of him can't believe that this is all really happening, even after so long, but Charles is right. They're leaving this place, just to go live something better. He nods and leans down to kiss his cheek. 

"We will. And I can't wait." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then they live happily ever after and have many heirs

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter if u want to see me talk about x-men: @sebbypn
> 
> *flashes a peace sign*


End file.
